Ommaya reservoir in the treatment of cryptococcal meningitis.

The objective is to study the role of Ommaya reservoir in the treatment of cryptococcal meningitis. The clinical data of 42 patients with cryptococcal meningitis were retrospectively studied. The Ommaya group included 20 patients, who were treated with Amphotericin B (Am B) and Ommaya reservoir implantation. The non-Ommaya group contained 22 patients, who were just treated with Amphotericin B (Am B). In the Ommaya group (surgical group), all 20 patients with Ommaya reservoir were fully recovered, and their average hospital stay period and average treatment period with Amphotericin B were 105.3 ± 18.3 and 75.0 ± 18.1 days, respectively. In the non-Ommaya group (control group), 16 patients were fully recovered and the average hospital stay period and average treatment period with Amphotericin B of these 22 patients were 139.6 ± 29.5 and 150.0 ± 32.2 days, respectively. In the surgical group, average period of cryptococcus disappearance was 20 ± 8 days, while in the control group, that was 35 ± 10 days. The clinical efficacy was better in surgical group than control group (P < 0.05). Ommaya reservoir implantation is a valuable approach in the treatment of cryptococcal meningitis and can improve the cure rate, decrease mortality, and shorten the period of treatment.