High-dose intravenous penicillin G in the treatment of neurosyphilis: a study of 62 patients. I. Clinical evaluation

Sessenta e dois casos de neurossífilis sintomática foram tratados com penicilina G, na dose diária de 20 ou 24 milhões de UI,por via intravenosa, durante 15 a 30 dias. O tempo médio de acompanhamento após o tratamento foi de 30 meses. Aparecimento de novos sinais neurológicos depois do tratamento foi constatado em 13 pacientes. As formas clínicas apresentadas por esses pacientes eram: paralisia geral progressiva (9), taboparalisia (2), tabes dorsal (1) e neurossífilis meningovascular (1). Trinta e seis pacientes (58,1%) apresentaram melhora do quadro clinico, 22 (35,5%) não sofreram alteração e 4 pacientes (6,4%) pioraram clinicamente depois do tratamento. Em dois pacientes houve progressão para outras formas de neurossífilis. Os resultados clínicos da penicilinoterapia intravenosa constatados neste estudo não diferiram daqueles obtidos com penicilinoterapia intramuscular clássica registrados na literatura. Sixty-two patients with symptomatic neurosyphilis were treated with 20 or 24 megaunits of intravenous penicillin G daily for 15 to 30 days. The mean follow-up time after the treatment was 30 months. Thirteen patients developed new neurological signs after the treatment. Their diagnosis were: general paresis (9), taboparesis (2), tabes dorsalis (1) and meningovascular neurosyphilis (1). After the treatment, thirty-six patients (58.1%) improved, 22 patients (35.5%) were unchanged and 4 patients (6.4%) deteriorated on clinical grounds. In two patients there was a progression to other forms of neurosyphilis. The results of the treatment of these patients with high doses of intravenous penicillin G were not different from the results verified with classical intramuscular penicillin that were reported in the literature, from the clinical standpoint.