Photopheresis. Therapeutic potential in preventing restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.

Photopheresis (extracorporeal photochemotherapy) is an immunomodulatory therapy that entails the reinfusion of peripheral blood mononuclear cells after exposure to the photoreactive agent methoxsalen and ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation. Currently available at approximately 150 treatment centers worldwide, photopheresis is approved by the US FDA for advanced-stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and has also shown promise in treating nonmalignant immune-related conditions such as organ transplant rejection, acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease, and autoimmune disorders. The precise mechanism by which photopheresis evokes clinical responses is unknown, although this modality seems capable of modulating T-cell and monocyte activity.

Feasibility of photopheresis to reduce the occurrence of restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty: a clinical pilot study.

Background: Photopheresis was evaluated as a means of preventing restenosis on the basis of immune modulation.

Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial analyzing clinical restenosis at 6 months after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Seventy-eight patients with single-vessel angioplasty were randomly assigned to a control group of 41 patients and a treatment group of 37 patients.

Extracorporeal photochemotherapy alone or with adjuvant therapy in the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: a 9-year retrospective study at a single institution.

Background: Extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP; photopheresis) is a treatment option for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL).

Objective: This study describes the outcomes obtained with ECP alone or with adjuvant therapy in treating CTCL.

Methods: A 9-year retrospective study was performed at a single institution.

Scleromyxedema with dermato-neuro syndrome.

Scleromyxedema is a rare connective tissue disease of unknown cause characterized by a generalized papular eruption, dermal fibroblast proliferation, and monoclonal paraproteinemia. A paroxysmal triad consisting of high fever, seizures, and coma with a flu-like prodrome can rarely occur in patients with scleromyxedema and is termed "dermato-neuro syndrome." We describe a 41-year-old patient with scleromyxedema in whom the dermato-neuro syndrome developed.