Intravenous immunoglobulin-induced panel reactive antibody A reduction: not all preparations are created equal.

Background: Use of intravenous (IV) immunoglobulin (Ig) to obtain panel reactive antibody (PRA) A reduction in sensitized patients has been widely reported. Because no IVIg preparation is formulated specifically for this purpose, the authors have sought to determine whether, through laboratory testing, they could guide the rational choice of product for clinical use.

Methods: Using a flow cytometric approach, the authors have quantitatively determined the capacity of 22 different IVIg preparations to cause PRA reduction.