Oral ciprofloxacin for osteomyelitis.

Ciprofloxacin is a new, oral, broad spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotic which has a long serum half-life, a low incidence of significant adverse reactions, and is administered twice daily. Eighteen patients with osteomyelitis were treated with ciprofloxacin, 750 mg orally twice daily. The mean age of the patients was 43 years (range, 21 to 73 years); 12 were men. The duration of treatment ranged from 5 to 52 weeks (mean, 20.0 +/- 15.7 weeks). At follow up (mean, 18 +/- 8.5 months; range, 4 to 34.5 months), 11 patients (61.6%) achieved arrest of infection, 4 (22.2%) had improved with therapy, and 3 (16.6%) failed to improve. Ciprofloxacin was well tolerated. Four case histories are given.