Intravenous pulse methylprednisolone therapy in severe inflammatory eye disease
D. Wakefield, P. McCluskey and R. Penny
Seventeen patients with severe ocular inflammatory disease were treated
with intermittent pulse doses of intravenous methylprednisolone. There were
five patients with chronic posterior uveitis, five with retinal vasculitis,
three with scleritis, two with chronic anterior uveitis, one with pars
planitis, and one with Mooren's ulcer. A standard protocol of intravenous
administration of methylprednisolone was followed. In 15 of 17 patients
receiving this therapy, visual acuity improved or stayed constant. Side
effects included psychological disturbances, hypertension, and elevated
glucose levels, but cessation of treatment was not necessary in any
patient. Pulse methylprednisolone treatment appears to be an effective
therapy for several forms of severe inflammatory eye disease and minimizes
the potential side effects of more conventional regimens of corticosteroid
administration.
