ABSTRACT
Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), also known as plasmapheresis or apheresis, has been studied as a treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) since 1980. The effects of TPE on MS are perhaps best considered by examining two distinct patient groups: those with progressive forms of MS and those with acute, severe attacks of MS and other idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases (IIDDs). Evidence for efficacy is equivocal, and modest at best in progressive MS. However, a sizeable proportion of patients with acute, severe attacks experience marked and rapid improvement. A controlled clinical trial at the Mayo Clinic demonstrated that TPE is an effective treatment for acute, severe attacks of inflammatory demyelination of MS and other IIDDs in patients who do not respond to conventional treatment with high-dose corticosteroid therapy1.
