Overview of study results: acute intravenous and oral maintenance combination therapies for patients with refractory ITP. Thirty-five patients were treated with acute intravenous combination therapy, of whom 25 responded with at least a platelet increase of greater than 20×10⁹/L to a platelet count of greater than 30×10⁹/L. Eighteen patients received oral maintenance combination therapy following acute intravenous combination therapy of whom 17 were evaluable; 13 responded to oral maintenance therapy within 4 months. Response to oral maintenance therapy was defined as a sustained platelet count greater than 75×10⁹/L without the need for interim acute treatments of any kind.