Complications of Intrathecal Use of Penicillin

The brilliant therapeutic results and the relatively rare toxic reactions from the use of penicillin have led many physicians to overlook its possible toxicity when injected directly into the subarachnoid space. Serious reactions following intracisternal and intraventricular administration, as well as complications of its intrathecal lumbar injection, have been accumulating in the literature. In spite of these reports, one still finds widespread ignorance of the toxic reactions to the intrathecal use of penicillin. These complications prompt us to describe the reactions, analyze their cause and, if possible, find means of avoiding them. With this in mind we are reporting 4 cases and analyzing them in relation to the complications reported by other authors. REPORTS OF CASES Case 1.1— A woman aged 45 years had been ill a week with an infection of the upper respiratory tract. She was admitted to Columbia Hospital, Milwaukee, Nov. 9, 1944, with findings