title: Cervical tuberculosis in early childhood.
abstract: METHODS
  We present a case of spinal tuberculosis in a 4-year-old girl that grounds severe vertebral destruction involving four cervical vertebrae and a large abscess with retropharyngeal expansion. Presenting symptoms were neck and right arm pain, torticollis and weakness of the right arm. We drained the abscess and removed the infected bone and reconstructed the cervical spine with a fibular allograft. The neurological deficits were recovered and the torticollis was straightened up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We emphasize the value of early diagnosis of spinal tuberculosis and early radical surgery with spinal reconstruction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of Gazi, Besevler, 06500 Ankara, Turkey. fdogulu@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Fikret
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dogulu
authors.forename: M Kemali
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Baykaner
authors.forename: Ayhan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Onk
authors.forename: Bulent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Celik
authors.forename: Necdet
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ceviker
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000601:surgery; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*