[Value of and indications for noxythiolin in generalized peritonitis]

The favourable experience of M. BROWN with noxythiolin in fecal peritonitis has prompted us, over the last seven years, to use this product in all forms of generalized peritonitis. This study involved 187 cases of generalized peritonitis : 102 males and 85 females, whose mean age was 53 years. Noxythiolin was reserved for severe cases (after having deliberately decided not to perform a comparative control series), the severity being related to the advanced age of the patients, the delay in intervention, and preexisting disorders. It was used in the form of a peroperative lavage of the peritoneal cavity and a postoperative instillation. The overall survival (71 p. 100) and that observed in particular in peritonitis of colonic origin (58 p. 100), seem to be arguments in favour of the beneficial effect of the product. Noxythiolin contributes to the sterilization of the peritoneal cavity. By virtue of its efficacy, the simplicity of its use, and its innocuousness, it merits a place in the therapeutic arsenal for treatment of generalized peritonitis, in combination with systemic treatments.