Intramedullary spinal tuberculoma: report of three cases.
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.
Li
Hao
H
Department of Neurosurgery, HuaXi Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
You
Chao
C
Yang
Yongbo
Y
He
Min
M
Cai
Bowen
B
Wang
Xiaoshu
X
Ju
Yan
Y
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*