title: Diagnostic utility of polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical techniques for the laboratory diagnosis of intracranial tuberculoma.
abstract: In an attempt to establish a tuberculous etiology, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemical (IHC) methods were undertaken in formalin-fixed paraffin sections of ten surgical specimens of intracranial tuberculoma. The control group included an equal number of intracranial fungal granuloma. Both PCR and IHC methods did not yield false-positive results in fungal granuloma. PCR was found to be less sensitive (60%) than IHC method (80%) in this study. IHC method definitely possesses several operational advantages over PCR and is more suited to laboratories in developing countries for establishing a tuberculous etiology particularly in those patients in whom the conventional bacteriological methods did not confirm the diagnosis of tuberculoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala State, India.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Sumi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mathai
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sheela
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Radhakrishnan
authors.forename: V V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Radhakrishnan
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Indhulekshmy
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mundayoor
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D005260:Female; D006099:Granuloma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009181:Mycoses / Q000150:complications; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000592:standards*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014375:Tuberculoma / Q000175:diagnosis*