Intra-medullary tuberculoma of the spinal cord presenting with typhoid and paraplegia: a case report (original) (raw)

Intramedullary spinal tuberculoma: report of three cases

Surgical Neurology, 2006

Background: Intramedullary spinal tuberculoma is a rare form of central nervous system tuberculosis. This article describes the successful management of intramedullary spinal tuberculoma in 3 patients who received treatment between 2000 and 2003.

Intramedullary Tuberculoma of Thoracic Spinal Cord in an Apparently Healthy Nigerian: Case Report

Journal of the West African College of Surgeons

Spinal intramedullary is an uncommon form of tuberculosis causing spinal cord injury in this environment. We report a case of thoracic intramedullary tuberculoma in an immunocompetent male Nigerian with negative screening for tuberculosis. He presented with 8 months history of back pain and 2 months history of progressive weakness in both lower limbs. Physical examination revealed a well-nourished man with spastic paraplegia. Chest radiograph and CT scan were normal but Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the thoracolumbar region showed cord oedema and circumscribed intramedullary lesions at D12 and L1 levels with target sign. The patient was promptly prepared and had D12 and L1 laminectomy and posterior myelotomy with excision of the intramedullary lesion. Histology showed granulomatous lesion with central caseation in keeping with a tuberculoma. He was treated with a 4-drug antituberculous regimen with physiotherapy and he made complete neurological recovery 8 months post-operativ...

Experiences and conceptualisation of spinal intramedullary tuberculoma management

Korean Journal of Spine, 2015

Spinal intramedullary tuberculoma (SIMT) is rare, accounting for 2/100,000 cases of tuberculosis and only 0.2% of all cases of central nervous system(CNS) tuberculosis. We share our experiences of 11 cases of this entity for improving diagnosis and conceptualize the management of this rare disease. The clinical profile, radiological data and management of 11 cases of SIMT which were managed either conservatively or by surgical intervention during last 27 years (1987-2014) were analysed. Male:female ratio was 1.75:1. Five cases had associated pulmonary Koch's. Most common site was thoracic cord. Two cases had concurrent multiple intracranial tuberculoma. Most common presentation was paraparesis. X-ray myelography was performed in two patients in the initial period of study suggesting intramedullary pathology. In the subsequent nine cases who had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), seven showed typical "target sign" and conglomerate ring lesion. Out of 8 surgically managed...

Intramedullary tuberculoma of the spinal cord: a series of 10 cases

Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, 2002

Objecti6e: Involvement of vertebral column is common in tuberculosis but intramedullary tuberculomas are rare. We report a series of ten cases of intramedullary tuberculomas, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the largest series of biopsy proven intramedullary tuberculomas in English literature. Methods: During a period of 16 years (1985-2000), ten cases of intramedullary tuberculomas were diagnosed in our department. Of these, eight cases were histologically proven intramedullary tuberculomas. The clinical profile, radiological data and histological slides were reviewed. Results: Age ranged from 18 to 45 years (mean 29.7 years) and there was slight male preponderance (six men, four women). Duration of symptom varied from 3 to 20 months (mean 11.5 months). All of them presented with motor weakness and sensory impairment. Most common site of involvement was dorsal cord followed by cervical, cervicodorsal and dorsolumbar regions. Three patients had associated involvement of lungs, cervical lymphnodes, and brain, and one patient had past history of tuberculous meningitis. Two patients were treated conservatively but surgical excision was done in eight cases followed by medical treatment. Conclusion: Radiologically, intramedullary tuberculomas should be differentiated from other space occupying lesions (SOL) to avoid unnecessary surgery especially in those patients with tuberculosis of the other organs. The incidence of intramedullary tuberculomas is likely to increase with a rise in the incidence of AIDS.

Intra-medullary Tuberculomas: Case Series

Intramedullary spinal tuberculoma is an extremely rare disease when compared to pulmonary, extrapulmonary and skeletal tuberculosis in developing countries. In the absence of systemic tuberculosis, clinical presentation is non distinctive from other intramedullary lesions. We report two cases of intramedullary tuberculoma both presenting with signs and symptoms of space occupying lesions. Surgical excision was done in both cases following which patients improved neurologically. Histopathological evaluation is essential to provide curative treatment.

Spinal intramedullary tuberculosis: A series of 15 cases

Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, 2009

Objectives: Spinal intramedullary tuberculosis is a rare disease. This study aims to acquaint readers with its clinicoradiological features and emphasizes the importance of early treatment in intramedullary spinal tuberculosis. Materials and methods: Retrospective analysis was conducted from 1985 to 2006 over a period of 21 years and data were retrieved from patient records at our institute (single centre study). Clinicoradiological and pathological data were reviewed along with final outcome at discharge and analyzed. Results: Fifteen patients were analyzed. Mean age of presentation was 31 years (range: 18-45 years), with average duration at presentation being 11 months (2-24 months). Common locations: dorsal region: 7 cases, cervical: 5 cases, cervicodorsal: 2 cases and dorsolumbar region: 1 case. Sensori-motor involvement was noted in fourteen patients. Bowel and bladder involvement was seen in ten patients while one patient had respiratory distress. Only 40% of patients had secondary involvement of spine while the rest of the cases were having primary spinal intramedullary tuberculosis. Three patients had previous history of tubercular meningitis, while one patient had old pulmonary tuberculosis. There were one case each of cervical node involvement and intracranial granuloma. Twelve patients underwent surgery while others were conservatively managed, all patients received antitubercular therapy for 18 months.

Spinal cord compression due to primary intramedullary tuberculoma of the spinal cord presenting as paraplegia: A case report and literature review

Surgical neurology international, 2015

Spinal cord compression can be due to various causes but spinal intramedullary tuberculoma is a rare cause. We report a case that had an intramedullary spinal cord tuberculomas in which the diagnosis was made histologically, without evidence of symptoms of systemic tuberculosis. This lesion, located in the thoracic region, mimicked as an intramedullary tumor radiologically. The patient was a 25-year-old male who presented with a history of progressive paraparesis. Initial diagnosis was made as an intramedullary tumor by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The treatment of the patient involved is complete surgical excision of intramedullary lesion followed by appropriate antituberculous therapy. Postoperatively, his neurological symptoms were dramatically improved. With combination of both surgical and medical treatments, excellent clinical outcome was obtained. This case illustrates the risk of misdiagnosis and the importance of histological confirmation of a pathological lesion as sp...

Spinal Intramedullary Tuberculosis

The Surgery Journal

Tuberculosis of the central nervous system accounts for approximately 1% of all cases of tuberculosis and 50% of these involve the spine. Intramedullary involvement is rare in tuberculosis. Clinical presentation of spinal intramedullary tuberculosis (SIMT) is similar to intramedullary spinal cord tumor. Here, we report the case of a 49-year-old female with dull aching pain of both upper limbs of 1-week duration. On examination, she had no motor deficits. All the deep tendon reflexes were normal. The plantar responses were flexor bilaterally. Cervical spine imaging favored intramedullary tumor. She had partial relief of symptoms with steroid treatment. Repeat imaging done 1 month later revealed mild interval enlargement of the intramedullary lesions and multiple enlarged mediastinal and hilar nodes. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology of mediastinal nodes was suggestive of granulomatous inflammation. Hence, SIMT was considered as the probable diagnosis. The p...