Efficacy and Safety of Continuous Lumbar Drainage Combined with Intrathecal Injection in the Treatment of Tuberculous Meningitis

Objective To investigate the effects and safety of continuous lumbar drainage(LD) combined with intrathecal injection in the treatment of tuberculous meningitis(TBM).Methods A total of 25 patients with tuberculous meningitis treated by our hospital from July 2009 to August 2010 were retrospectively analyzed.Of them,15 were treated with lumbar drainage combined with intrathecal injection(the observation group),and 10 were interruptedly treated with cerebrospinal fluid replacement combined with intrathecal injection(the control group).Finally,we assessed the effects of the treatment using clinical symptoms,signs and outcomes of cerebrospinal fluid.Results Of the 15 cases in the treatment group,10 were cured,4 showed effectiveness and one showed no response;of the 10 cases in the control group,4 were cured,4 showed effectiveness,and two showed no response,with significant differences between the two groups(P0.05).Incidence rate of adverse reactions were 0 in the observation group and 30%(3/10) in the control group(P0.05).Average hospital stay were(16.8±2.8) days in the observation group and(21.2±4.2)days in the control group(P0.05).Conclusion Continuous lumbar drainage combined with intrathecal is safe and effective in the treatment of tuberculous meningitis.It can shorten the average length of hospital stay and enhance the compliance of the patients.