Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41711419›Full record

ArticleClinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America2026

Intrathecal Isoniazid and Dexamethasone Therapy May Improve Outcomes in Patients With Tuberculous Meningitis: A 2-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.

Rui Chen, Yaojie Shen, Huarui Liu, Meiji Wang, Zhentao Fei, Lu Xia, Dan Ye, Yang Ren, Xiaoqing Ma, Yang Yang and 4 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Rui ChenShanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0009-0006-5117-5080
Yaojie ShenDepartment of Tuberculosis, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.ORCID 0000-0003-3081-9597
Huarui LiuDepartment of Tuberculosis, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Meiji WangInstitute for AIDS/STD Prevention and Control, Yunnan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Zhentao FeiDepartment of Tuberculosis, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Lu XiaDepartment of Tuberculosis, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0000-0002-5646-2648
Dan YeDepartment of Tuberculosis, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Yang RenDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Xiaoqing MaDepartment of Tuberculosis, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Yang YangDepartment of Tuberculosis, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Meijun LiuShanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Xuhui LiuDepartment of Tuberculosis, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Yuanyuan ChenDepartment of Tuberculosis, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Feng LiShanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Funding

Guangzhou National Laboratory GZNL2024A01030National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China 2024ZD0529300Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality 25SF1901200Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality ZD2021CY001Shanghai Hospital Development CenterSHDC 12024115
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis study aims to evaluate the effect of intrathecal (IT) administration of antituberculosis agents on functional outcomes in patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM) and to explore its potential as a strategy to overcome the blood-brain barrier.

methodsWe retrospectively analyzed TBM patients admitted between 2012 and 2023 at Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital and Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center. Clinical data were collected during hospitalization, and functional outcomes were assessed at 3-6 months after discharge using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to balance baseline characteristics between patients who received IT therapy and those who did not. Treatment effects were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test.

resultsA total of 533 patients with TBM were included. After PSM, 72 patients receiving IT therapy were compared with 121 matched controls. Intrathecal therapy was associated with significantly lower mRS scores at discharge compared with controls (P = .0012), suggesting that it may improve functional outcomes.

conclusionsIntrathecal administration of isoniazid and dexamethasone may improve functional prognosis in TBM patients. These findings highlight IT therapy as a promising approach to circumvent the blood-brain barrier and warrant validation in multicenter randomized controlled trials.

Indexed as

Antitubercular AgentsDexamethasoneIsoniazidTuberculosis, MeningealAdultChinaFemaleHumansInjections, SpinalMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeAntitubercular AgentsDexamethasoneIsoniazidintrathecal treatmentmodified Rankin Scale scorepropensity score matchingtuberculous meningitis

Identifiers

PMID41711419
PMCPMC13393116

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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.