Mediastinal mass in an tuberculosis-exposed 2-year old child with neurofibromatosis type 1 - TB or not TB?

Renate Krüger; Cornelia Potratz; Pablo Hernáiz-Driever; Birgit Lala; Cornelia Feiterna-Sperling

doi:10.1016/j.rmcr.2020.101324

Mediastinal mass in an tuberculosis-exposed 2-year old child with neurofibromatosis type 1 - TB or not TB?

Respir Med Case Rep. 2020 Dec 14:32:101324. doi: 10.1016/j.rmcr.2020.101324. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Renate Krüger¹, Cornelia Potratz², Pablo Hernáiz-Driever³, Birgit Lala⁴, Cornelia Feiterna-Sperling¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatric Pneumonology, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany.
² Department of Pediatric Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany.
³ Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany.
⁴ Department of Pediatric Radiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.

Abstract

A toddler with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) was evaluated for tuberculosis (TB) after exposure. Chest X-ray (CXR) revealed a mediastinal mass indicating lymphadenopathy. However, magnetic resonance imaging showed a large plexiform thoracic neurofibroma. CXR performed for TB screening in NF1 patients cannot clearly differentiate lymphadenopathy from thoracic plexiform neurofibroma. Cross sectional imaging is therefore indicated for classification of mediastinal masses.

Keywords: Children; Mediastinal mass; Neurofibromatosis; Tuberculosis.

Publication types

Case Reports