Metastatic endophthalmitis as a complication of meningococcic meningitis.

Abstract

Metastatic endophthalmitis was observed as a complication in 2 out of 68 patients with meningococcic meningitis during the period from 1952 to 1955. The rarity of its occurrence and the successful outcome of these cases stimulated this report. A review of the literature revealed that the complication of metastatic endophthalmitis occurred in approximately 5% of the cases in epidemics of meningitis before the era of specific serum and antibacterial therapy.* Prior to this era the end-results of endophthalmitis were vitreous abscess, the formation of a cyclitic membrane, retinal detachment, and the eventual loss of the eye in many cases. Since the advent of specific antibacterial therapy, endophthalmitis, as well as meningococcic meningitis, has been markedly reduced. Successful therapy of this complication using local penicillin by ionophoresis and systemic sulfonamide was reported by Dunnington and Krause.† The present report concerns the treatment of two cases of meningococcic endophthalmitis with massive systemic