[Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of chloramphenicol: a critical review (author's transl)].

Chloramphenicol was given to four neurosurgical patients intravenously. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations were determined with High-pressure-Liquid-Chromatography (HPLC). A comparison with results reported in the literature shows that in patients without meningitis there is markedly lower concentration of chloramphenicol in the CSF than expected, i.e. it penetrates the "blood-brain" barrier much less easily.