Refractory aplastic anemia: concomitant therapy with antithymocyte globulin and high-dose corticosteroids.

Bone marrow transplantation is possible for only a minority of patients with severe aplastic anemia. There has been successful treatment in some patients with immunosuppressive agents: high-dose 6-methylprednisolone, antilymphocyte globulin, and antithymocyte globulin. We report the successful treatment of two patients with severe aplastic anemia with the simultaneous administration of antithymocyte globulin and high-dose 6-methylprednisolone after failure with antithymocyte globulin and low-dose corticosteroids.