Intracranial multiple tuberculomas: 2 unusual cases.
BACKGROUND
Tuberculosis (TB) is still a major public health problem that continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality at worldwide level. Only 1% of patients with TB develop an intracranial tuberculoma (Tbm), usually as part of miliary TB. The radiological findings are often nonspecific, and they are difficult to diagnose without an increased index of suspicion.


METHODS
In this report, we presented 2 unusual patients with intracranial multiple Tbms, one of whom is a 32-year-old woman who did not have pulmonary TB or other primary origin of TB. Her diagnosis was established histopathologically, and she was treated with antituberculous chemotherapy. The other patient is a 12-year-old girl who has pulmonary TB with portal hypertension together with liver cirrhosis. Her diagnosis was established with clinical, radiological, and laboratory findings, and she was treated with antituberculous chemotherapy for 18 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Intracranial Tbms have become rare in developed countries, but TB is still a very common infectious disease at worldwide level. Therefore, diagnosis should be kept in mind when confronted with brain space-occupying lesions, especially in the immunocompromised or malnutritional hosts such as liver cirrhosis. When no other active extracranial tuberculous process is found, the diagnosis should be confirmed by a biopsy before beginning antituberculous treatment, which is rapidly effective. We have not encountered in the literature such a case of multiple intracranial Tbms associated with liver cirrhosis in an adult patient.
Guzel
Aslan
A
Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Dicle University, 21180 Diyarbakr, Turkey. aslang@dicle.edu.tr
Tatli
Mehmet
M
Aluclu
Ufuk
U
Yalcin
Kendal
K
D000328:Adult; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001933:Brain Stem; D002540:Cerebral Cortex; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016862:Tuberculoma, Intracranial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy
D000995:Antitubercular Agents