Tuberculous pyomyositis of the thigh masquerading as malignancy with concomitant tuberculous flexor tenosynovitis and dactylitis of the hand.
Multifocal involvement of the skeleton is extremely rare, with tuberculous pyomyositis and tenosynovitis of the wrist being uncommon presentations of skeletal tuberculosis (TB). We present an immunocompetent 68-year-old woman with concomitant presentation of these uncommon forms of extrapulmonary TB heralded by tuberculous pyomyositis. Tuberculous pyomyositis can often masquerade as malignancy, leading to misdiagnosis and patients being mistakenly referred to oncologists for management. This delayed the institution of appropriate drug therapy. Similarly, because of its rarity, tuberculous tenosynovitis may be overlooked as a cause of chronic tenosynovitis. In the absence of pathognomonic imaging findings, the diagnosis ultimately rests on histopathological and microbiological confirmation. This case highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion of the protean manifestations of extrapulmonary TB, not only in high-risk populations, but in immunocompetent individuals as well. It also illustrates the advantage of a clinically-directed multidisciplinary approach in early recognition and treatment of this entity.
Batra
S
S
Department of Orthopaedics, Gwynedd Hospital, North West Wales NHS Trust, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2PW, The United Kingdom. drbatrasameer@yahoo.co.uk
Ab Naell
M
M
Barwick
C
C
Kanvinde
R
R
D000368:Aged; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008662:Metacarpophalangeal Joint / Q000473:pathology; D019042:Muscle Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D052880:Pyomyositis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013717:Tenosynovitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013848:Thigh / Q000601:surgery; D013933:Thumb / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D014394:Tuberculosis, Osteoarticular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery
D000995:Antitubercular Agents