title: Treatment of non-cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis with shortened fluoroquinolone-based regimens: a meta-analysis.
abstract: Several recent trials evaluating 4-month fluoroquinolone (FQ) containing regimens found that none of the experimental regimens were non-inferior to standard 6-month therapy in treating patients with drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).
  
  
  
  To answer whether FQ-containing duration-shortened regimens are non-inferior to standard therapy in the treatment of patients with non-cavitary PTB.
  
  
  
  Systematic review of all randomized and quasi-randomized trials that substituted an FQ into standard therapy for less than 6 months' duration to treat drug-susceptible, non-cavitary PTB. Non-inferiority was based on a 6% margin of difference.
  
  
  
  Of 4594 total participants in the three trials that met the inclusion criteria, 1066 patients had non-cavitary disease. The pooled difference in unfavorable outcomes was 5% (95%CI -3 to 13) in patients with non-cavitary disease treated with FQ-containing regimens vs. standard therapy. In subgroup analyses, the pooled difference in unfavorable outcomes was 1% (95%CI -3 to 5) when comparing the daily form of intervention regimen with standard therapy, and -1% (95%CI -5 to 4) between regimens replacing ethambutol (EMB) with an FQ and standard therapy. No difference in risk of adverse events was noted.
  
  
  
  Daily administered 4-month regimens with substitution of EMB by an FQ may be non-inferior to standard therapy in patients with culture-confirmed, non-cavitary, drug-susceptible PTB.
authors: Curry International Tuberculosis Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Alipanah
authors: Curry International Tuberculosis Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Cattamanchi
authors: Montreal Chest Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Menzies
authors: Curry International Tuberculosis Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors: P C
authors: PC
authors: Hopewell
authors: Center for Tuberculosis Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors: R E
authors: RE
authors: Chaisson
authors: Curry International Tuberculosis Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Nahid
mesh_terms: D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004977:Ethambutol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D024841:Fluoroquinolones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D024841:Fluoroquinolones; D004977:Ethambutol