Plasma Exchange Therapy

[Swimgirl]

I was just cleaning my bookcase and came across an article from the Wall Street Journal from 1999 about Plasma Exchange Therapy, an alternative for SoluMedrol treatments. "Involves replacing patients' blood plasma with transfused plasma." Patients saw an improvement for up to three years after the initial treatments. The doctors involved were Rodriguez and Weinshenker at the Mayo Clinic. Did this protocol ever catch on? Mom's doctor has never mentioned it but that doesn't mean anything.

[Redwings]

Hi Swimgirl:
I would have to read the Wall Street Journal article myself to be able to comment on it. I haven't been able to find any article by Dr. Weinshenker in the medical literature that says what the WSJ article says.

There was a study about plasma exchange published in the Annals of Neurology in 1999 (of which Rodriguez and Weinshenker were two of the authors) and another published the same year in another journal, but neither says what you've reported that the WSJ article says.

The Annals of Neurology article wasn't about a study of plasma exchange used as an alternative to Solu-Medrol. It was about plasma exchange used to treat acute, severe neurological deficits caused by inflammatory demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system that failed to respond after treatment with high-dose corticosteroids. There have been a few follow-up articles published since 1999, including one published just last year.

Plasma exchange is currently used for acute, severe cases of inflammatory demyelination of the CNS that don't respond to high-dose steroids (e.g., it's often used in the treatment of NMO). It isn't used instead of, or as an alternative to, steroid treatment, and especially not for mild cases of CNS inflammation.

Again, I can't find any evidence that there was ever a study out of Mayo that investigated plasma exchange instead of steroids. But if there was one back in 1999, plasma exchange used in that way never caught on (for some good reasons).

[Redwings]

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society website has an info page about plasmapheresis (plasma exchange). It summarizes by saying:

"The vast majority of people experiencing acute attacks respond well to the standard high-dose corticosteroid treatment. According to the guidelines, plasma exchange should be considered a treatment alternative only for the few who do not, and only for a short time."

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/abo...nge/index.aspx

[pjsSissy70]

I was just cleaning my bookcase and came across an article from the Wall Street Journal from 1999 about Plasma Exchange Therapy, an alternative for SoluMedrol treatments. "Involves replacing patients' blood plasma with transfused plasma." Patients saw an improvement for up to three years after the initial treatments. The doctors involved were Rodriguez and Weinshenker at the Mayo Clinic. Did this protocol ever catch on? Mom's doctor has never mentioned it but that doesn't mean anything.

I dont tolerate solumedrol very well at all and prednisone does nothing for me. My neuro actually just suggested this as an option or the athgar gel. He said the plasma exchange is just like getting hooked up to a dialysis machine. That was enough for me, I said no thank you! He did mention that its not a long term thing to do, just occasional.