Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2008 Mar;6(3):364-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2007.12.020.

Rituximab therapy for refractory biliary strictures in immunoglobulin G4-associated cholangitis

Mark Topazian  1 , Thomas E Witzig, Thomas C Smyrk, Jose S Pulido, Michael J Levy, Patrick S Kamath, Suresh T Chari
Affiliations
Case Reports

Rituximab therapy for refractory biliary strictures in immunoglobulin G4-associated cholangitis

Mark Topazian et al. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2008 Mar.

Abstract

Background & aims: Biliary strictures occur in a third of patients with autoimmune pancreatitis and have been termed immunoglobulin G subclass 4 (IgG4) associated cholangitis (IAC). IAC often responds to steroid therapy.

Methods: A patient with autoimmune pancreatitis and (IAC) refractory to steroids and 6-mercaptopurine was treated with rituximab, a monoclonal antibody directed against the CD20 antigen on B lymphocytes.

Results: The patient's biliary strictures improved after rituximab therapy, permitting removal of his biliary stents. Systemic manifestations of IgG4-associated disease also improved.

Conclusions: Rituximab may be a treatment option for patients with refractory or recurrent autoimmune pancreatitis or IAC.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources