Enplaque tuberculoma is an uncommon manifestation of cns tuberculosis and presents as a solitary, focal, caseous plaquelike lesion, globular or irregular in outline and 1 or 2 mm to 1 cm in diameter, situated deep in a sulcus in relation to the meninges. The incidence of the disease is increasing in developed nations largely because of immigration and epidemic hiv disease. Tuberculomas of the brain with and without associated. Macroscopically, a tuberculoma is a well defined firm nodule with central caseous necrotic center 2. Kameswararao, department of pathology, andhra medical college, visakhapatnam.
Erebral tuberculoma and neurocysticercosis, which often mimic brain tumors on imaging, are more prevalent in tropical countries than brain tumors. Total resolution of the tuberculoma is observed when scans demonstrate no enhancing lesions or only an area of calcification. Whereas older authors regarded tuberculoma as one of the most common types of cerebral tumor, more modern reports indicate a steadily decreasing incidence, until at present tuberculomas constitute 2 per cent or less of verified tumors of the brain. It was concluded that the brain biopsy is useful in diagnosing tuberculoma but that there is some associated risk. Bhargava s, tandon pn 1980 intracranial tuberculomas.
Unusual morphology and size at imaging made meningioma a close differential. Biopsy of the brain is the most accurate method of diagnosis in case of multiple brain tuberculomas, and the findings of the case by surgery suggested it as the final diagnosis. Thirteen patients 2 were lost to followup were cured after an average of 16 months of antituberculous therapy. There are 5 drugs as first line defenses for tuberculosis. Cureus multiple intracranial tuberculomas with an intra. Extraneural disease or a past history of tuberculosis are evident in fewer than 50% of patients. When inhaled, the droplet nuclei reach the alveoli of the lung. Tuberculoma medical definition merriamwebster medical. Tuberculomainduced seizures the western journal of.
In some cases, neuroimaging may prove to be not specific enough to consistently distinguish tuberculoma from tuberculous brain abscess. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is transmitted by airborne droplet nuclei produced when an individual with active disease coughs, speaks, or sneezes. In the 3 other patients, the cns tb diagnosis was only presumptive. The diagnosis is now established by angiography or computerized tomography ct. However, no adequateproofof such a migration has been presented. We present a case of an unusual masslike giant extraaxial tuberculoma during pregnancy. A ct scan niopam contrast enhanced, 5 mm slices showed multiple ring enhancing lesions in the cerebral hemispheres and brainstem consistent with cerebral tuberculomas fig 1, but no signs of raised intracranial pressure. The diagnosis, followup and management of this interesting and uncommon phenomenon requires serial mri of the brain and familiarity with the idiosyncrasies of tuberculosis infection. Tuberculoma article about tuberculoma by the free dictionary. Their variety and situation, with special reference to their treatment by surgical interference. There are only scattered case reports of intracranial tuberculosis in industrialized nations. Brain tuberculoma is the dizziness and loss of apetite a side effect. Comparison of mr with pathologic findings author tae kyoung kim, kee hyun chang, chong jai kim, jin mo goo, myeong cherl kook, and moon hee han. Their variety and situation with special reference to their treatment by surgical interference.
My mother 66yr is diagnosed with tuberculoma of brain. Brain tuberculoma, an unusual cause of stroke in a child. Mr spectroscopy mrs at the site of lesions showed increased lipid peak, decreased nacetylaspartate peak with increased chcr ratio. Cns tuberculoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of ringenhancing lesions on brain imaging in patients with risk factors, as mentioned. The patient often presents with seizures of recent onset. In an analysis of 757 autopsies performed at the cook county hospital from 1917 to 1927 inclusive, on patients who had died of tuberculosis, 20 instances of the occurrence of tuberculoma of the brain were discovered. Intracranial tuberculoma american journal of neuroradiology. Cerebral tuberculoma mimics brain tumor, both clinically and radiographically. Intracranial tuberculomas are rare in industrialized countries, but remain significant in developing nations. Tuberculous brain abscess a diagnostic and therapeutic.
Antitubercutous chemotherapy, brain, radiology, stereotactic biopsy, surgery, tuberculoma. Both diseases are rare in japan but prevalent in endemic areas. The indian journal of tuberculosis 93 tuberculoma of the brain by d. A tuberculoma is distinct from a tuberculous abscess in that it demonstrates evidence of granulomatous reaction and caseous necrosis histologically. Tuberculosis of the central nervous system postgraduate. We encountered a case of cerebral tuberculoma associated with intense headache and fever, which mimicked neurocysticercosis. Cerebral tuberculoma mimicking high grade glial tumor turkish. Cerebral tuberculomas are a rare and serious form of tuberculosis tb due to the haematogenous spread of mycobacterium tuberculosis mt.
Intracranial tuberculoma an overview sciencedirect topics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of multiple brain tuberculomas described in a child with trisomy 21. Brain tuberculoma may be solitary or multiple, with or without tuberculous meningitis. The most important lesson from 83,000 brain scans daniel amen tedxorangecoast duration. Utility of pcr assay in diagnosis of enplaque tuberculoma. Biopsy of the brain is the most accurate method of diagnosis in case of multiple brain tuberculomas, and the findings of the. Mr spectroscopy in tuberculoma of brain bmj case reports. There was good clinical improvement and complete radiological resolution with antituberculous treatment alone. They may even be found in the epidural, subdural and subarachnoid spaces, and the brain stem, with the rarer sites of involvement being the cavernous. Cavernous sinus and the pituitary are rare sites for the development of tuberculoma. Frequency, severity, and prediction of tuberculous meningitis immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome. This rare case report serves as a reminder for tuberculosis as etiology of brain abscess in a hivnegative patient, who recovered.
It is the purpose of this paper to present briefly certain clinical and. A brainstem tuberculoma is described in a 30yearold woman who had recurrent episodes of neurological deficit with partial recovery. These types of granuloma have variable degree of perilesional oedema. Cerebral tuberculomas or tuberculous brain abscess. The ct findings in the current case showed multiple ring enhancing lesions but finding based on ct alone is presumptive. Cerebral computerized tomography revealed multiple brain lesions, with contrast enhancement and perilesional oedema. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial in cns tb, considering its high morbidity and mortality. The patient had a good initial response to antituberculosis drugs and steroids. An mri scan noncontrast revealed an asymptomatic tuberculoma in the lower spinal cord fig 2. An unusual incidence of tuberculosis in different parts of the body is called tuberculomas. We advocate early empirical trial of antituberculosis drugs for intracranial tuberculoma even after a presumptive diagnosis, particularly in areas where the.
Racemose pattern is an important presentation of tuberculoma. Intracranial tuberculoma was studied by computed tomography ct in eight patients. Brain tuberculoma is a serious form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Our patient had an exceptional case of stroke caused by tuberculoma. Centrally located, active lesions may reach considerable size without producing signs of meningeal inflammation. Tuberculomas should not be confused with the far less common tuberculous abscess.
First international congress of neurological surgery 1957 93 94. Patients with trisomy 21 have an increased risk for stroke. Neurocysticercosis ncc vs central nervous system cns. First international congress of neurological surgery 1957 9394.
Tuberculoma is a peculiar manifestation of tuberculosis which occurs in any solid. In contrast, abscesses do not display a granulomatous reaction and their centers are filled with pus 5,6. Tuberculoma of the brain annals of internal medicine. Tuberculoma definition of tuberculoma by medical dictionary. Since these are evolutions of primary complex, the tuberculomas may contain within caseum or calcifications. The common presenting signs and symptoms are intracranial hypertension and papilledema. Tuberculoma is often infratentorial in children and supratentorial in. Tuberculosis is common in the developing world and in developed nations secondary to increasing immunocompromise in the population. A tuberculoma is a clinical manifestation of tuberculosis which conglomerates tubercles into a firm lump, and so can mimic cancer tumors of many types in medical imaging studies. In one model, a tuberculous focus may form in the meninges, subpial, or subependymal region of the brain and later rupture into the subarachnoid space or ventricular system, leading to meningitis. Central nervous system tuberculomas sctimst dspace. Tuberculoma, ask a doctor about diagnosis, treatment and. Tbabs was first described by evans and rand early 1930s, and is still very rare in world literature.
Bharatbhushan sharma1, shashi sharma2 1department of radiodiagnosis, sgt medical college, gurgaon, india 2department of pediatrics, sgt medical college, gurgaon, india abstract. Misdiagnosis of tuberculomas as malignant diseases have been described in literature. Solitary tuberculomas may be indistinguishable from cranial abscess or primary brain tumor. Tuberculoma definition of tuberculoma by the free dictionary. Seizures in human immunodeficiency virus hiv patients can be caused by a wide variety of opportunistic infections, and, especially in developing countries, tuberculosis tb should be high on the differential. The most common site of tuberculoma has been reported to be at the greywhite matter junction and the periventricular region. Neurocysticercosis ncc vs central nervous system cns tuberculoma in children dilemma over clinicoradiological diagnosis. Maryam saleh, ali asghar saeedi, and ali ali pooran.
Due to its rarity, nonspecific symptoms and radiological findings, intracranial tuberculomas remain a clinical challenge. Immune reconstitution syndrome in a patient with aids with paradoxically deteriorating brain tuberculoma. Vengsarkar us, pisipaty rr parekh b, panchal vg, shetty mn 1986 intracranial tuberculoma and the ct scan. Tuberculoma brain and neurocysticercosis are the most common cns infections causing seizures, followed by brain abscess and encephalitis. The following report is of a case of intramedullary tuberculoma. Tuberculoma of the spinal cord may develop within the substance of the cord itself the intramedullary form, or within the spinal canal external to the cord the extramedullary form. In india, tb is the most common opportunistic infection in hiv and it can have several different central nervous system. It commonly causes meningitis and parenchymal tuberculomas. Tuberculomas are conglomerate caseous foci within the substance of the brain that develop from deepseated tubercles acquired during a recent or remote period of bacillemia. The tuberculoma with central liquefaction of the caseous material appears centrally hypointense on t1 and hyperintense on t2weighted images with a peripheral hypointense ring which represents the capsule of tuberculoma figures 4 and 5.
A case of cerebral tuberculoma mimicking neurocysticercosis. Intracranial tuberculous granuloma radiology reference. A series of 16 cases treated with antituberculosis drugs article pdf available in the international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease 111. Meningeal tuberculosis occurs when tuberculosis travels through the bloodstream to the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, called the meninges. In the 2 patients who underwent neurosurgery, the neuropathological findings were consistent with tuberculoma.