Lessons learned from a fatal case of tuberculous meningitis with a rapid decline in an infant

J Clin Imaging Sci. 2022 Jan 5:12:1. doi: 10.25259/JCIS_191_2021. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Tuberculous meningitis is a highly lethal, often underrecognized disease with characteristic clinical and imaging features which can be cured if the diagnosis and subsequent treatment are begun at early stages. Frequently, there is a delayed diagnosis of this condition due to unfamiliarity of clinicians in non-endemic areas about its presentation and diagnostic workup. This article presents a case of rapid decline and fatality due to tuberculous meningitis in an 11-month-old child from a non-TB-endemic area and describes the characteristic clinical presentation, imaging findings, and diagnostic pitfalls associated with this condition.

Keywords: Basal meningitis; Central nervous system tuberculosis; Tuberculosis; Tuberculous meningitis.