Objectives To compare the effectiveness and safety of intravenous anti-D immunoglobulin (IV anti-D) with high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) as initial treatments of acute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in children. Methods Randomized controlled trials comparing anti-D with high-dose IVIG in the treatment of childhood acute ITP were systematically reviewed from PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and hand-searched reference lists. The number of patients with a platelet count>20 × 109/L at 72 hours after treatment initia-tion, and the decrease in hemoglobin were the primary outcomes. The meta-analysis was performed by RevMan 5.1. Results A total of 771 relevant articles were retrieved, and ifve studies were included. The RR (anti-D versus high dose IVIG) of achieving a platelet count>20×109/L at 72 hours was 0.90 (95%CI:0.82~0.98). However, subgroup analysis suggested no signiifcant difference between anti-D at a dose of 50μg/kg and high-dose IVIG (RR 0.98, 95% CI: 0.84~1.13), as well as between anti-D at a dose of 75μg/kg and high-dose IVIG (RR 0.88, 95%CI:0.75~1.03). Hemoglobin drop was greater in the anti-D group. No patients, however, required transfusions of erythrocyte suspensions. Conclusions IV anti-D may be as ef-fective as high-dose IVIG in the treatment of childhood acute ITP at 72 hours after therapy. The side effects of anti-D were tolerated and acceptable.