Rituximab therapy in steroid resistant thyroid associated ophthalmopathy

Abstract

Introduction:Thyroid associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) is the most frequent extrathyroidal manifestation of Graves' disease. Considerable number of TAO is also found with euthyroid or hypothyroid state and responds to present mainstay of therapy i.e corticosteroid. However, some patients with TAO are resistant to steroid therapy and may progress to vision threatening orbitopathy. Radiotherapy, surgical decompression and cyclosporine in combination with oral or intravenous glucocorticoid were the other options in such cases. But recently rituximab a monoclonal anti CD20 antibody which was successfully used in other