Methods
IMID
LUNG DISEASES
This study was conducted to further evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of rituximab in a Dutch cohort of patients with IMID-IP in a prospective phase II study. Patients were referred to the Department of Pulmonology at St. Antonius Hospital Nieuwegein, a national center for the treatment of rare lung diseases, between 2015 and 2017. The study design was approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committee (MEC-U) under NL49534.100.14. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under the identifier NCT02251964. All patients provided written informed consent prior to participation. An overview of the study interventions is summarized in Fig. Our study protocol. Patients were selected based on a diagnosis of IMID and ILD and their eligibility for intervention according to the study criteria (see corresponding sections). Patients were enrolled in follow-up as soon as they completed rituximab therapy doses 1 and 2. At least one imaging session on day 3 was required for inclusion in the imaging analysis