The Effect of Topical Application of Antibiotics on the Cerebral Cortex.

Park, Kwang Soeb; Lee, Young Woo

Original Article

Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society 1981;10(1): 39-52.

Department of Neurosurgery, Busan National University, School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.

ABSTRACT

Several of the newer broad-spectrum, potent antibiotics are currently being used for the treatment of meningitis, ventriculitis, and shunt tract infection. The risk of complications following intrathecal administration of some of this newer antibiotics varies considerably. Possible complications of immediate or delayed seizure, cortical electrical depression, radiculopathy, transverse myelopathy, and arachnoiditis after intrathecal or intraventricular administration must be weighed against the potential value of this route. These risks may influence the therapeutic management of a specific clinical situation. Earlier studies have defined the effect of some of the well known older chemotherapeutic and antibiotic agents on electrocortical activity. Some of the newer, commonly used antibiotics may have epileptogenic and electrocortical depressant effects when applied topically to the cerebral cortex. The authors studied the effect of streptomycin, kanamycin, gentamicin, tobramycin, amikacin and vistamycin. The results are as follows: 1. Electrocortical spike activity and electrocortical depression were produced by gentamicin. 2. Electrocortical depression was produced by tobramycin. 3. No electrocortical effects was produced by streptomycin. Kanamycin, amikacin and vistamycin.