Steroid responsiveness. A predictor of the outcome of splenectomy in children with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura
M. E. Weinblatt and J. A. Ortega
Splenectomy is curative for many children with chronic immune
thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), but not without placing them at increased
risk for serious infections. To determine the reliability of a trial of
corticosteroids in predicting the outcome of splenectomy, 36 children with
chronic ITP were studied retrospectively. All 20 of the children with a
good response to corticosteroids achieved a complete remission after
splenectomy, whereas only two of 13 nonresponders exhibited a lasting
benefit from surgery. Corticosteroid responsiveness was found to be a
highly reliable method of correctly identifying those patients with chronic
ITP who would benefit from splenectomy.
