title: Ketoconazole in the treatment of cryptococcosis of the central nervous system.
abstract: Two patients with cryptococcosis of the CNS were treated with ketoconazole (KTZ), an imidazole derivative with fungistatic properties: they had either failed standard therapy (Amphotericin-B + 5-Fluorocytosine) or suffered intolerable side-effects to it. Both patients were administered KTZ 800 mg/day as monotherapy for six months without interruption and both responded. One month after KTZ therapy was withdrawn, however, a relapse of the infection was seen in one case. Side-effects were minimal during the trial of treatment. KTZ could be a useful drug in some cases of neurocryptococcosis.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Clínica Médica, Hospital de Clínicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brasil.
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Trevisol-Bittencourt
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Sander
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Silvado
authors.forename: E O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Wittig
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007654:Ketoconazole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D007654:Ketoconazole