title: Giant tuberculoma in an adolescent: atypical form of tuberculosis.
abstract: A tuberculoma is a rare form of presentation of tuberculosis (TB) in children. We describe the case of a 13-year-old girl, with 3&emsp14;weeks of progressive tiredness and asthenia and a 48 h fever and cough. Physical examination revealed diminished pulmonary sounds in the left lower hemithorax. A chest radiograph showed an oval hypotransparency image in this location. The TB skin test was anergic and sputum was negative for acid-fast bacilli (AFB). The thoracic CT revealed a cystic mass in the left lower half hemithorax, compressing the adjacent pulmonary lobe, with double non-calcificated membrane. The exeresis of the pulmonary mass was performed and the anatomopathological study revealed a tuberculoma with AFB. TB treatment was established with a favourable clinical and radiological evolution. TB is a prevalent disease around the world. In this case, due to the mass dimensions and adjacent-organ compression, surgery was essential for a favourable clinical evolution.
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Department, Hospital Prof Doutor Fernando Fonseca, Lisbon, Portugal. ines.mascarenhas@gmail.com
authors.forename: Maria Inês
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Mascarenhas
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pacheco
authors.forename: Catarina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Silvestre
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Felix
authors.forename: Maria João
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Brito
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Correia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014375:Tuberculoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology