title: Intramedullary spinal tuberculoma: report of three cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intramedullary spinal tuberculoma is a rare form of central nervous system tuberculosis. This article describes the successful management of intramedullary spinal tuberculoma in 3 patients who received treatment between 2000 and 2003.
  
  
  METHODS
  The character of 3 cases was analyzed retrospectively, including clinical manifestation and magnetic resonance imaging findings. All masses were excised totally under microscope. Histopathologic examination revealed tuberculoma. Postoperatively, all patients received a 6 to 9 month course of ATT. The outcome was favorable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The intramedullary spinal tuberculoma must be considered in the differential diagnosis of the spinal cord compression in patients with a history of tuberculosis. When confronted with a progressing neurologic deficit and poor response to ATT, surgical intervention should be considered. The optimal treatment is a combination of microsurgical resection and ATT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, HuaXi Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Yongbo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Bowen
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Xiaoshu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ju
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae; D014375:Tuberculoma / Q000473:pathology*; D014399:Tuberculosis, Spinal / Q000473:pathology*