Abstract

PELLEGRINO, FA et al. Oral clarithromycin as a treatment option in chronic post-operative endophthalmitis. Arch Soc Esp Oftalmol [online]. 2005, vol.80, n.6, pp.339-344. ISSN 0365-6691.

Purpose: To assess the outcome of medical treatment with oral clarithromycin in patients with chronic post-surgical endophthalmitis. Methods: This prospective study was performed between January 1999 and September 2003. Patients with a diagnosis of chronic post-surgical endophthalmitis of bacterial etiology were included. All received 500 mg of oral clarithromycin twice a day for 14 days. The initial and final visual acuity, etiology, post-surgical time of presentation, treatment-delay time, and follow up were recorded. According to the treatment results, patients were distributed into 3 separate groups: 1) complete response, 2) partial response, 3) no response. Data from these groups were compared by means of the Student’s t test and Fisher exact test, depending on which was considered most suitable. Results: Fifteen cases of chronic endophthalmitis (11 of Propionibacterium acnes, 4 of Staphylococcus epidermidis) were diagnosed. A complete response was observed in 4 cases, partial response in 4 cases, and no response in 7 cases. Final visual acuity greater than 0.5 was significantly more likely in the complete response group when compared with the no response group (Fisher exact test = 0.0454, p=0.05), however, the same comparison between the complete response group and the partial response group was not significant. Conclusion: Medical treatment with oral clarithromycin could be useful in some patients with chronic post-surgical endophthalmitis.

Keywords : Clarithromycin; endophthalmitis; Propionibacterium acnes.