Rapid improvement of intracranial tuberculomas after addition of ofloxacin to first-line antituberculosis treatment.

ABSTRACT

Reported here is the case of a 9-year-old girl presenting with disseminated tuberculosis, the manifestations of which included mediastinal adenopathy, an osteolytic parietal lesion with a large associated scalp abscess, cerebral empyema, meningoencephalitis, and tuberculomas. No clear improvement was observed after 4 weeks of first-line antituberculosis treatment (10 mg/kg rifampin, 15 mg/kg isoniazid, 30 mg/kg ethambutol, 30 mg/kg pyrazinamide). The isolation of an isoniazid-resistant organism prompted institution of ofloxacin. Introduction of this drug was associated with dramatic improvement. Its good penetration into the central nervous system and its distribution into macrophages suggest that this drug may be of interest for the treatment of intracranial tuberculomas, particularly those due to isoniazid-resistant strains.