Urinary tract infection prophylaxis in transurethral surgery: oral lomefloxacin versus parenteral cefuroxime

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of single-dose oral lomefloxacin and single-dose parenteral cefuroxime for the prevention of urinary tract infection following transurethral surgery. A total of 63 patients were enrolled in this prospective, randomized open-label study, which was conducted at two medical centers in France. Patients were randomized to receive either 400 mg of oral lomefloxacin 2-6 hours before surgery or 1.5 g parenteral cefuroxime 30-90 minutes before surgery. Postoperative clinical evaluation was performed daily, and bacteriologic evaluation included urine cultures performed 24 hours after surgery, just before and 1 day after removal of the indwelling catheter, and 3-5 days after surgery. Another urine culture was optionally performed 1-3 months after surgery. Infection was defined as a urinary bacteria count greater than or equal to 10(5) colony-forming units (CFU)/mL of urine. Of the 63 patients enrolled, 54 were evaluable for efficacy, 27 in each group. The success rate of prophylaxis was 88.9% in the lomefloxacin group and 88.5% in the cefuroxime group (p = nonsignificant). None of the 16 lomefloxacin-treated patients who were re-cultured at 1-3 months was found to be infected. Adverse events were minor in both groups. A single oral dose of lomefloxacin was as efficacious and as safe as a single intravenous dose of cefuroxime for prevention of postoperative urinary tract infection in patients undergoing transurethral surgery.