ArticleNeurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology2022
Intravenous immunoglobulin bridging to rituximab in NMDAR encephalitis patients non-responders to first-line treatments.
Article in Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.
- Longitudinal changes in [European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging · 2026Article
- A Phase-2B Double-Blind Randomized International Prospective Trial of Inebilizumab in NMDAR Encephalitis: The ExTINGUISH Trial.Neurology open access · 2025Article
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9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
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Abstract
backgroundThe immunotherapy strategy for autoimmune encephalitis is based on several types and schedules of both first- and second-line drugs. Failing to respond to the latter prompts the use of non-conventional rescue therapies, with higher risks of severe adverse effects. We report on a protocol that entails the use of intravenous immunoglobulin cycles to bridge the 4-month period that the second-line drug rituximab needs to exert its full therapeutic effects.
methodsThree patients with NMDAR encephalitis who were non-responders to first-line treatments entered the study. The protocol consisted of six monthly cycles of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG, 0.4 mg/kg/die for 5 days), starting 1 month after the last rituximab infusion (1000 mg at days 0 and 15). Brain MRI and [
resultsIn the three patients, substantial improvements of disability or complete recovery were achieved, without modifications over the 30-to-50-month follow-up. No adverse events nor laboratory test abnormalities were recorded. Imaging findings paralleled the favorable disease courses. Brain [ DISCUSSION: Our observations suggest that the herein-described protocol might be used in patients with NMDAR encephalitis at risk for poor prognosis in the mid-term when they need to shift to rituximab. [18F]-FDG-PET confirmed to be a sensitive tool to detect the minimal brain lesions that can underlie isolated cognitive and psychiatric symptoms.
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