Repeat Conjunctival Biopsy after Immunomodulatory Therapy for Ocular Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To evaluate whether conjunctival biopsy findings in patients with ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) persist as positive or revert to negative following treatment with immunomodulatory therapy (IMT).

Methods: Patients with biopsy-proven MMP were treated with IMT for at least 2 years before undergoing repeat conjunctival biopsy for immunofluorescence microscopy. Their records were reviewed and findings evaluated to ascertain which patients’ biopsies showed antibody deposition on the conjunctival basement membrane.

Results: Following 2 years of IMT, conjunctival biopsies showed persistent antibody deposition in two patients, and were negative in four patients.

Conclusions: Conjunctival biopsies in patients with ocular MMP may show reversion to inactive disease following IMT. Post-treatment biopsy might be clinically useful as a means of evaluating the efficacy of therapy in this chronic disease.

Keywords:

• Conjunctiva
• immunofluorescence
• immunomodulatory therapy
• mucous membrane
• pemphigoid

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

FUNDING

This project received support from the Connecticut Uveitis Foundation.

Additional information

Funding

This project received support from the Connecticut Uveitis Foundation.