title: Syphilitic neuroretinitis.
abstract: Four patients (three men, 32, 43, and 53 years old, and one 37-year-old woman) with syphilitic neuroretinitis had cerebrospinal fluid evidence of neurosyphilis. Therapy failed in one patient given penicillin G benzathine intramuscularly and it may have failed in a second patient. Another treatment failure occurred in a patient given tetracycline orally. Intramuscular penicillin G benzathine or intramuscular penicillin G procaine in doses of less than 2.4 million units/day does not produce spirocheticidal drug levels in the cerebrospinal fluid. All four patients improved after high-dose treatment with aqueous penicillin G.
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009494:Neurosyphilis / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D010401:Penicillin G Benzathine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012173:Retinitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D013592:Syphilis, Latent / Q000150:complications; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014792:Visual Acuity
chemical_list: D013752:Tetracycline; D010401:Penicillin G Benzathine