Paola ValentinoRocco LiguoriMassimiliano FilostoGabriele SicilianoAngelo Maurizio Clerici • Stefania LelliGirolama Alessandra MarfiaGiovanni AntoniniIlaria CecconiEduardo Nobile-Orazio • Leonardo LopianoSCIg and Chronic Dysimmune Neuropathies Italian Network

This multi-center Italian prospective observa- tional study reports the 4 months follow-up data of 87 patients affected by chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) and multifocal motor neu- ropathy (MMN) shifted from intravenous to subcutaneous immunoglobulin treatment. A therapeutic shift from intra- venous to subcutaneous immunoglobulin was performed in 87 patients (66 CIDP; 21 MMN) affected by immune- mediated peripheral neuropathies with evidence of a sus- tained clinical response to intravenous immunoglobulin. Patients were evaluated by means of the Overall Neuropa- thy Limitation Scale, Medical Research Council Scale and Life Quality Index questionnaire, both at the time of ther- apeutic shift and after 4 months of subcutaneous immunoglobulin treatment. A sustained clinical efficacy was observed after the switch to subcutaneous immuno- globulin: the Overall Neuropathy Limitation Scale score improved in the group of 66 CIDP patients (P = 0.018), with only one subject reporting a worsening of 1 point, and remained stable in the group of 21 MMN patients (P = 0.841), with one subject reporting a worsening of two points. An improvement in the patient's perception of therapeutic setting was reported in both groups. This large multi-center study confirms the short-term clinical equiva- lence of subcutaneous versus intravenous immunoglobulin and a possible improvement in the patient's perception of therapeutic setting with the subcutaneous administration. However, further studies are required to extend the results to a longer observational period. A list of contributors can be found in ''Appendix 1''.