title: An atypical presentation of tuberculosis of the spine.
abstract: We present a retrospective analysis of 684 patients operated on for a herniated lumbar intervertebral disc. Of the 87 patients with a failed back syndrome, 12 were confirmed to have tuberculous infection of the same disc interval. These patients responded satisfactorily to bracing and a short course of anti-tubercular chemotherapy. Histopathological confirmation of the disease was obtained by CT guided biopsy, and only a few of the patients required repeat surgery. This study highlights one of the atypical presentations of tuberculosis of the spine as a herniated lumbar intervertebral disc and a cause of a failed back syndrome. Advanced imaging techniques such as MRI and CT scans are helpful in the early detection of such conditions.
authors.affiliation: Susurut Hospital, Research Centre, Nagpur, India.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Pande
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Pande
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Babhulkar
mesh_terms: D001416:Back Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014399:Tuberculosis, Spinal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery