This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on ISI (7)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related articles  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Multiple Sclerosis/ Demyelinating Disease  • Immunologic Disorders  • Alert me on articles by topic

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

In the February issue of the ARCHIVES, Monson et al¹ reported on a small series of cases of patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with rituximab. Analyzing the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) B cell counts in 2 of them, they concluded that rituximab depleted CSF B cells to a lesser degree than peripheral blood B cells. Here we communicate our observations in a patient with relapsing-remitting MS who responded to a combined treatment regimen consisting of rituximab and cyclophosphamide.

The 19-year-old man presented with a third attack within a year. The diagnosis was ascertained according to the McDonald criteria with typical findings on CSF analysis and magnetic resonance imaging. Interferon- treatment was initiated, but he continued relapsing. Despite initiation of cyclophosphamide pulse therapy, the patient deteriorated to complete tetraplegia and required mechanical ventilation. At that point, we decided to give him 4 courses of rituximab at 375 . . . [Full Text of this Article]

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Hela-F Petereit, MD; Andrea Rubbert, MD

RELATED ARTICLES

Clinical Stabilization and Effective B-Lymphocyte Depletion in the Cerebrospinal Fluid and Peripheral Blood of a Patient With Fulminant Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
Olaf Stüve, Sabine Cepok, Birte Elias, Andreas Saleh, Hans-Peter Hartung, Bernhard Hemmer, and Bernd C. Kieseier
Arch Neurol. 2005;62(10):1620-1623.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Effective Suppression of Cerebrospinal Fluid B Cells by Rituximab and Cyclophosphamide in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis—Reply
Nancy L. Monson
Arch Neurol. 2005;62(10):1642.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Effect of Rituximab on the Peripheral Blood and Cerebrospinal Fluid B Cells in Patients With Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis
Nancy L. Monson, Petra D. Cravens, Elliot M. Frohman, Kathleen Hawker, and Michael K. Racke
Arch Neurol. 2005;62(2):258-264.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT