The New England journal of medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
A randomized trial of acyclovir for 7 days or 21 days with and without prednisolone for treatment of acute herpes zoster.
Acyclovir given for 7 to 10 days is of proved benefit in acute herpes zoster, but studies of its effectiveness in preventing postherpetic neuralgia have had conflicting results. The role of corticosteroids in the treatment of herpes zoster is also controversial. ⋯ In acute herpes zoster, treatment with acyclovir for 21 days or the addition of prednisolone to acyclovir therapy confers only slight benefits over standard 7-day treatment with acyclovir. Neither additional treatment reduces the frequency of postherpetic neuralgia.
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Comment Letter Case Reports
Case 45-1993: allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.
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The standard follow-up care for children with medulloblastoma includes regular clinical evaluations and surveillance scanning of the central nervous system with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. The evaluations and scanning assess the response of the tumor to treatment, detect any recurrence of disease, and monitor any complications of treatment. We compared the effectiveness of a periodic history taking and physical examination with that of surveillance scanning in detecting recurrent tumors. ⋯ Among children with medulloblastoma, surveillance scanning is of little clinical value. Scanning detected a minority of recurrences, and no patient who had a recurrence survived.