Colon salvage therapy for acute severe colitis: cyclosporine or infliximab

Colon salvage therapy for acute severe colitis: cyclosporine or infliximab
Current Opinion in Gastroenterology, 07/08/2011  Clinical Article

Burger DC et al. – Optimal salvage therapy will depend on detailed results of randomized controlled trials. Meanwhile, patients with acute severe colitis(ASC) should receive either cyclosporine or infliximab before surgery as long as there is specialist expertise that allows early decision–making.

• ASC affects 25% of patients with ulcerative colitis and is associated with measurable morbidity and mortality.
• Simple clinical and laboratory measures predict steroid refractoriness (such as stool frequency 3-8/day and C-reactive protein > 45 mg/l on day 3) and salvage therapy is appropriate at this stage.
• Preliminary data from randomized controlled trials suggest that early (7 and 98 day) response to cyclosporine and infliximab are comparable.
• Serum trough infliximab concentrations may correlate with outcome.
• Sequential therapy cannot usually be recommended due to limited response (70% colectomy at 3 years) and high rate of serious adverse events.