Treatment of idiopathic orbital myositis with frequent relapses: First case with tacrolimus and review of literature

A 41-year-old man presented with a 2-year history of recurrent painful ophthalmoplegia. Previous brain magnetic resonance imaging showed isolated enlargement of extraocular muscles with enhancement. A diagnosis of idiopathic orbital myositis (IOM) was given. Though the patient initially responded dramatically to corticosteroid, he began developing steroid resistance from his third attack and experienced frequent relapses. Therefore, tacrolimus was added to his regimen. The patient had full symptom recovery after tacrolimus and reported no relapses in the 1-year follow-up. This is the first case showing the efficacy of tacrolimus in treatment of IOM. Our case illustrates the importance of immunosuppressive agents in IOM patient refractory to steroid for both symptom control and relapse prevention.