Introduction: Central nervous system tuberculosis is a common chronic infection in developing countries, being the most frequent forms: tuberculous meningitis and intracranial tuberculosis. Extramedullary intradural tuberculosis is a rare entity with few cases described in the world literature, and is usually associated with a history of tuberculous meningitis or during antituberculosis treatment.
Case report: A 17 years-old male patient, without history of tuberculosis, with subacute onset and progressive course of compressive myelopathy. Spinal magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intradural extramedullary mass lesion between the C4 and T8 spinal levels. Surgical resection of tuberculoma was realized, followed by chemotherapy. The histopathological study confirmed the diagnostic.
Conclusions: Tuberculosis of the central nervous system is an entity of high incidence in developing countries, and intradural extramedullary tuberculoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of expansive spinal cord injuries, especially if the patient is young and there is a history of pulmonary tuberculosis or tuberculous meningitis. It is also important to take it into account as part of a paradoxical reaction after the initiation of specific treatment. Although surgical resection improves compressive medullary symptoms, medical therapy remains the mainstay in the treatment of tuberculomas.
Title: Tuberculoma intradural extramedular: descripcion de un caso clinico y revision de la bibliografia.
Introduccion. La tuberculosis del sistema nervioso central es una infeccion cronica comun en paises en vias de desarrollo, y la meningitis tuberculosa y los tuberculomas intracraneales son las formas mas frecuentes. El tuberculoma intradural extramedular es una entidad poco frecuente, con pocos casos descritos en la bibliografia mundial, y por lo general se asocia a un antecedente de meningitis tuberculosa o durante el tratamiento antituberculoso. Caso clinico. Varon de 17 años, sin antecedente de tuberculosis, con cuadro clinico de una mielopatia compresiva de aparicion subaguda y curso progresivo, cuya neuroimagen evidencio una lesion extensa intradural extramedular. Se le realizo cura quirurgica mas laminectomia descompresiva en D4-D8 seguido de quimioterapia. El estudio histopatologico confirmo el diagnostico. Conclusiones. La tuberculosis del sistema nervioso central es una entidad de alta incidencia en nuestro medio, y el tuberculoma intradural extramedular deberia incluirse en el diagnostico diferencial de lesiones expansivas de la medula espinal, mas aun si el paciente es joven y existe el antecedente de tuberculosis pulmonar o meningitis tuberculosa. Asimismo, es importante tenerla en cuenta como parte de una reaccion paradojica despues del inicio del tratamiento especifico. Aunque la reseccion quirurgica mejora los sintomas compresivos medulares, la terapia medica continua siendo el pilar en el tratamiento de los tuberculomas.