SynthesisNeurosurgical review2025
Linezolid use in post-neurosurgical central nervous system infections: A systematic review.
Synthesis in Neurosurgical review, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Post-neurosurgical central nervous system (CNS) infections are associated with prolonged hospital stays and poor neurological outcomes. Given the predominance of Gram-positive bacteria as causative pathogens, vancomycin is the first-line treatment. However, its use is limited by nephrotoxicity, the global emergence of resistant strains, and unfavorable pharmacokinetics with poor cerebrospinal fluid penetration. Therefore, linezolid may be a promising alternative. This systematic review assesses the current evidence regarding its efficacy and safety in the treatment of post-neurosurgical CNS infections. This review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024496278) and adhered to PRISMA guidelines. A literature search was conducted across five databases (PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL Complete, Dimensions, and the Cochrane Library). A risk of bias and quality assessment procedure (MINORS scale) was conducted for non-case-reports studies. We extracted epidemiological, microbiological, and pharmacological data, along with clinical outcomes and safety issues. Out of 611 records screened, 36 studies were included-27 of which were case reports. According to MINORS scores, most non-case-report studies exhibited poor (7/9) or moderate (2/9) methodological quality. Linezolid was primarily employed as a second-line therapy due to treatment failure (46.3%) or culture of glycopeptide-resistant strains (20.6%). Methicillin-resistant Staphylococci (67%) and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (8.2%) were most commonly identified. The oral route was used in 41.4% of cases. Low mortality (10.6%) and high but variable microbiological cure rates (65%) were reported. Adverse events occurred in 10 to 27.3% of patients, with hematological toxicity being the most common. Although linezolid shows promise in treating post-neurosurgical CNS infections, current evidence relies heavily on case reports and methodologically limited retrospective studies. Further rigorous research, including prospective trials, is needed to establish its role in these infections.
Indexed as
Identifiers
41099874What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.