Whither short-course chemotherapy for tuberculous meningitis?

Abstract

Short-course chemotherapy is well established for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis but not for extrapulmonary disease. We present a series of 35 cases in which chemotherapy for tuberculous meningitis was given for a period of less than 2 years. Short-term therapy was associated with recrudescence of tuberculous meningitis and, in some cases, with the development of deep cerebral infarcts and permanent neurological deficits. We think short-term chemotherapy for tuberculosis of the central nervous system is inadequate.