Rescue therapy for acute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura unresponsive to conventional treatment

A 61-year-old woman with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, with Richter's transformation to a diffuse, large, B-cell lymphoma, treated with six cycles of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone and in complete remission, presented to the hospital after her platelets were found to be 2x10³/µL in outpatient laboratory studies. She initially underwent a platelet transfusion without improvement. This was followed by 4 days of high-dose dexamethasone and intravenous immunoglobulin, which again yielded no meaningful effect. Even a single-dose rituximab failed to achieve a platelet increase after 5 days of monitoring. The patient was then given 2 mg of intravenous vincristine along with a high-dose of dexamethasone and IVIG and demonstrated substantial recovery in platelets to >50x10³/µL within 48 hours. This case study provides an overview of the current management strategies for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura that is unresponsive to conventional medical therapy and particularly sheds light on their therapeutic benefits and potential adverse effects.

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