title: Cerebral tuberculoma in pregnancy: overview of the literature and report of a case.
abstract: Tubercle bacilli infect about one third of the world's population and over the past decade resurgence of tuberculosis has been a major health threat mainly due to increasing frequencies of immunosuppressive states and drug-resistant organisms. Although tuberculosis is essentially a lung disease, intracranial elements become involved in 5-10% of cases either as meningitis or tumour-like masses (tuberculoma). Tuberculoma is common in endemic areas but its occurrence during pregnancy is occasional and of particular interest is its intriguing clinical picture mimicking toxemia of pregnancy and brain tumor. In addition, the effects of pregnancy on tuberculosis or vice versa have been controversial. We present here a review of the recent literature and discuss a case coming to medical attention with manifestations of intracranial hypertension during 2 consecutive pregnancies; 4 years apart. On operation a dura-attached mass was detected that proved to be a tuberculoma. After 18 months of close observation and under drug therapy she obviously improved with no ensuing complication. Immunodeficiency state associated with pregnancy is likely to play a role in activation of infection. Tuberculoma should be considered in differential diagnosis of eclampsia and brain mass particularly in women coming from endemic areas for this infection even in the absence of pulmonary involvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. ahmadise@tums.ac.ir
authors.forename: Seyed Ali
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ahmadi
authors.forename: Hadi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Roozbeh
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abbasi
authors.forename: Moslem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bahadori
authors.forename: Katayoun Gohari
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Moghaddam
authors.forename: Seyed Ebrahim
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Ketabchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis