Wegener's granulomatosis in pregnancy: a novel approach to management

Wegener's granulomatosis rarely is diagnosed in women of childbearing age and is, thus, uncommonly encountered in pregnancy. Although conventional treatment with steroids and cyclophosphamide controls disease activity in 90% of patients, the associated teratogenicity of such a regimen warrants careful consideration in pregnancy. We describe successful remission induction with the use of intravenous immunoglobulin and steroids alone in a woman diagnosed with de novo Wegener's granulomatosis during the first trimester of pregnancy.