Intramedullary spinal tuberculoma: A case report

A case report showing an intramedullary thoracic spinal tuberculoma secondary to pulmonary tuberculosis in a 16-year-old patient with findings of subacute spinal cord compression. The significance and the use of magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of intramedullary tuberculoma, and the treat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Spine (Philadelphia, Pa. 1976) Pa. 1976), 2000-09, Vol.25 (17), p.2265-2268
Main Authors: KAYAOGLU, Cetin Refik, TUZUN, Yusuf, BOGA, Zeki, ERDOGAN, Fazli, GORGUNER, Metin, AYDIN, Ismail Hakki
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
AIDS/HIV
Bacterial diseases
Biological and medical sciences
Human bacterial diseases
Humans
Infectious diseases
Male
Medical sciences
Spinal Cord - microbiology
Spinal Cord - pathology
Spinal Cord - surgery
Spinal Cord Diseases - microbiology
Spinal Cord Diseases - pathology
Spinal Cord Diseases - therapy
Treatment Outcome
Tuberculoma - pathology
Tuberculoma - therapy
Tuberculosis and atypical mycobacterial infections
Tuberculosis, Central Nervous System - pathology
Tuberculosis, Central Nervous System - therapy
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Summary:A case report showing an intramedullary thoracic spinal tuberculoma secondary to pulmonary tuberculosis in a 16-year-old patient with findings of subacute spinal cord compression. The significance and the use of magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of intramedullary tuberculoma, and the treatment of the patient that involves surgically the excision of intramedullary lesion followed by appropriate antituberculous therapy. Tuberculomas of spinal cord are rare entities. The possibility of intramedullary tuberculoma should be seriously considered when an intraspinal mass is found, provided that pulmonary tuberculosis is present in the history of the patient. Th4-Th5 laminectomy was performed. Intramedullary tuberculoma was excised through a myelotomy. Antituberculous treatment was applied after the surgery. Excellent clinical outcome was obtained with a combination of both medical and surgical treatments. The intramedullary spinal tuberculoma, although a rare entity, must be considered in the differential diagnosis of the spinal cord compression in patients with a history of tuberculosis, human immunodeficiency virus, and those who have a bad socioeconomic condition and bad nutrition habit. When confronted with a progressing neurologic deficit, a combination of microsurgical resection and antituberculous chemotherapy with the avoidance of steroids should be the choice of treatment for intramedullary tuberculomas.
ISSN:0362-2436
1528-1159
DOI:10.1097/00007632-200009010-00020