PENETRATION OF RUFLOXACIN INTO HUMAN PROSTATIC TISSUE AND FLUID

The penetration of rufloxacin into prostatic tissue and prostatic fluid was investigated in 16 patients undergoing elective transurethral prostate resection. Rufloxacin 400 mg was given orally approximately 16 h before surgery with a further dose of 200 mg approximately 5 h before surgery. Sampling was inadequate in three patients. One patient reported transient flushing and headache after the first dose of rufloxacin and was hence withdrawn from the study. In the remaining 12 evaluable patients, the mean ratios of rufloxacin concentrations (determined by HPLC) in prostatic tissue and fluid to the plasma concentration were 1·9 and 1·5, respectively. There were no significant differences between the tissue penetration ratios in different parts of the prostate. The levels of rufloxacin found in prostate tissue and fluid, in this study, exceeded the MICs for most micro-organisms causing chronic bacterial prostatitis. © 1991, by The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.