Predictive factors for surgical interventions following intravenous glucocorticoid pulse therapy in active moderate-to-severe thyroid eye disease.

PURPOSE: Thyroid eye disease (TED) is the most common extrathyroidal manifestation of Graves' disease (GD), driven by stimulatory thyrotropin receptor autoantibodies (TRAbs). Intravenous glucocorticoid pulse therapy (ivGC) is the first-line treatment for active moderate-to-severe TED. This retrospective cohort study aimed to identify predictive factors associated with treatment response in TED patients receiving ivGC therapy.

METHODS

We analyzed data from 146 TED patients treated with ivGC at our endocrine outpatient center between 2014 and 2021. The median treatment duration was 11 weeks (IQR: 1), with a median cumulative dose of 4.25 g (IQR: 0.25). The primary outcome was defined as the absence of the need for additional orbital decompression or strabismus surgery. Secondary outcomes included changes in ophthalmological and thyroid-related parameters. Predictive factors were identified using binary logistic regression.

RESULTS

The primary outcome was achieved in 20.54% of the patients. Predictors of surgery following ivGC treatment included current smoking (OR = 4.854, 95% CI: 1.522-15.482), age (OR = 1.051, 95% CI: 1.002-1.101), baseline diplopia (OR = 4.987, 95% CI: 1.218-20.417), and impaired visual acuity (OR = 0.274, 95% CI: 0.078-0.965). IvGC treatment improved diplopia (risk ratio = 0.87), and clinical activity score (Cohen's d = 1.30), with a trend toward reduced TRAb levels (Cohen's d = 0.71).

CONCLUSION

Smoking, diplopia, and age were unfavorable for avoiding surgery, while impaired visual acuity was favorable. IvGC was associated with significant ophthalmological improvements. These findings support more personalized approaches to TED treatment.