FREE NEJM E-TOC    HOME   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   CURRENT ISSUE   |   PAST ISSUES   |   COLLECTIONS   |   Search Term  Advanced Search

Sign in | Get NEJM's E-Mail Table of Contents — Free | Subscribe

Previous Volume 346:68-69 January 3, 2002 Number 1 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

	Full Text PDF PDA Full Text Purchase this article Add to Personal Archive Add to Citation Manager Notify a Friend E-mail When Cited PubMed Citation

To the Editor: The toxic effects of metronidazole include ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, and seizures.¹ There have been two reported cases in which abnormalities of the dentate nucleus on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were associated with metronidazole treatment.^2,3 We describe two additional cases of new-onset ataxia and dysarthria associated with the use of metronidazole. We also document the reversibility of both the clinical symptoms and the MRI abnormalities after discontinuation of the drug.

Ataxia and dysarthria developed approximately one month after the initiation of antibiotic therapy in a 62-year-old man with multiple epidural abscesses. He had been treated with metronidazole (500 . . . [Full Text of this Article]

References

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Sarna, J. R., Brownell, A. K. W., Furtado, S. (2009). Reversible cerebellar syndrome caused by metronidazole. CMAJ 181: 611-613 [Full Text]  
• Kim, E., Na, D.G., Kim, E.Y., Kim, J.H., Son, K.R., Chang, K.H. (2007). MR Imaging of Metronidazole-Induced Encephalopathy: Lesion Distribution and Diffusion-Weighted Imaging Findings. Am. J. Neuroradiol. 28: 1652-1658 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bonkowsky, J. L., Sondrup, C., Benedict, S. L. (2007). Acute reversible cerebellar lesions associated with metronidazole therapy. Neurology 68: 180-180 [Full Text]  
• Seok, J. I., Yi, H., Song, Y. M., Lee, W. Y. (2003). Metronidazole-Induced Encephalopathy and Inferior Olivary Hypertrophy: Lesion Analysis With Diffusion-Weighted Imaging and Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Maps. Arch Neurol 60: 1796-1800 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Willoughby, R. E. Jr (2003). Beware Observational Studies in Neonatal Practice. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 157: 934-935 [Full Text]