Unilateral choroidal tuberculoma as an initial manifestation of presumed ocular tuberculosis: a case report / Tuberculoma coroidal unilateral como manifestação inicial de tuberculose ocular presumida: relato de caso

ABSTRACT Choroidal tuberculomas are present in patients with ocular tuberculosis. They usually occur in a patient with previous history of tuberculosis, and are rarely the initial presentation, with no prior systemic manifestations. We present a patient with unilateral choroidal tuberculoma as the initial presentation of presumed ocular tuberculosis, which enabled earlier initiation of treatment.

RESUMO Os tuberculomas de coroide apresentam-se em pacientes com tuberculose ocular. Geralmente, ocorrem em indivíduos com história prévia de tuberculose e raramente têm apresentação inicial sem manifestações sistêmicas anteriores. Relatamos o caso de um paciente com tuberculoma de coroide unilateral com apresentação inicial de tuberculose ocular presumida, permitindo o início mais precoce do tratamento.

Brain Tuberculoma as a Differential Diagnosis of Single Intracranial Lesion: Case Report

Tuberculosis (TB) of the central nervous system (CNS) is considered one of the most severe forms of presentation of the disease. Although only 1% of TB cases involve the CNS, these cases represent around between 5 and 15% of extrapulmonary forms.1,2 Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the most frequent form of CNS TB. The granulomas formed in the cerebral tuberculoma may cause hydrocephalus and other symptoms indicative of a CNS mass lesion. In the absence of active TB or TBM, the symptoms may be interpreted as indicative of tumors.3,4 The prognosis is directly related to the early diagnosis and proper treatment installation.5 We report the case of a patient with intracranial hypertension syndrome, expansive mass in the parieto-occipital region, accompanied by a lesion in the rib, initially thought to be a metastatic lesion, although posteriorly diagnosed as a cerebral tuberculoma.

Mesenteroplicatura total con tutor transitorio: Prevención de la obstrucción recurrente por adherencias / Total mesenteric plication with temporary suture support: Prevention of recurrent bowel obstruction due to adhesions

La preocupación por los trastornos intestinales y la oclusión, como consecuencia de la formación de bridas peritoneoviscerales producidas por gestos quirúrgicos manuales e instrumentales, ha dado lugar a procedimientos con miras a evitarlas o minimizarlas. En este marco, la técnica de mesenteroplicatura con sostén transitorio tiene el propósito de favorecer el ordenamiento fibrointestinal, cuando la patología tratada haga sospechar que se producirán adherencias y más aún si la intervención ha sido causada por estas. Los fundamentos del procedimiento son los mismos que sostienen las técnicas usuales, por lo tanto no hay controversias en cuanto a las indicaciones. La lógica de la sutura transitoria está en que el tutor pierde su objetivo y se retira cuando finaliza el proceso adherencial, alrededor de las dos semanas de la intervención. Se presentan tres casos de oclusión intestinal operados con el procedimiento, controlados y con buenos resultados.

Peritoneal adhesions produced as a consequence of manual or instrumental manipulation during surgery cause bowel obstruction. Several procedures have been developed to avoid or minimize adhesions. Mesenteric plication with temporary suture support organizes the healing process in the bowel in case of high suspicion of adhesions will develop, particularly when bowel obstruction is produced by adhesions. The basis of this technique is the same as for standard procedures and, thus, there are no controversies about its indications. The rationale of temporary suture support is that when the healing process is over, about two weeks after the intervention, the suture support is no longer needed. We report three cases of intestinal obstruction undergoing mesenteric plication and temporary suture support, with favorable outcomes.

Mastitis tuberculosa / Tuberculosis of the breast

Se informa un caso de mastitis granulomatosa causada por Mycobacterium tuberculosis en una paciente inmunocompetente con lesiones inflamatorias crónicas de la mama, diagnosticada por la detección de ADN de la micobacteria mediante la técnica de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa de la secuencia de inserción IS6110 presente en el complejo M. tuberculosis , en una biopsia de mama embebida en parafina. La tuberculosis primaria de la mama es rara, incluso en países con alta prevalencia de tuberculosis, y debe sospecharse en pacientes con mastitis granulomatosa crónica de causa no clara. El pilar del tratamiento es la quimioterapia antituberculosa y, ocasionalmente, la cirugía.

We report a case of granulomatous mastitis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis in an immunocompetent woman with chronic inflammatory lesions of the breast. It was diagnosed by detection of mycobacteria DNA using polymerase chain reaction technique targeting IS6110 insertion element of M. tuberculosis complex in a paraffin-embedded histological specimen. The primary breast tuberculosis is rare, even in countries where the incidence and prevalence of pulmonary and extra pulmonary tuberculosis are high. It should be suspected in female patients with chronic granulomatous mastitis with no apparent cause. The cornerstone of treatment is antituberculous chemotherapy, and surgery is rarely required.

Cerebral tuberculoma in pregnancy: overview of the literature and report of a case

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

Plant Root Hair in Tap Water: A Potential Cause for Diagnostic Confusion / 대한진단검사의학회지

Plant root hairs are commonly found artifacts in parasitology specimens and may be confused with helminthes by an untrained eye. We report a case of brain tuberculoma where the tissue sample was contaminated with root hair derived from tap water; the presence of this root hair, which mimicked a larva, led to diagnostic confusion. Therefore, tap water should be considered a source of root hair and vegetable matter.

Horner's syndrome as a co-presentation of tuberculous retropharyngeal abscess

Tuberculosis is a disease known to affect any part of the body and to present in many interesting forms. A case of tuberculous retropharyngeal abscess is described here presenting with odynophagia and Horner's syndrome. Horner's syndrome as a presenting feature of tuberculous retropharyngeal abscess has never been reported in Pakistan

Intradural Extramedullary Tuberculoma Mimicking En Plaque Meningioma

A 24-year-old man with tuberculosis meningitis developed acute paraplegia and sensory disturbances 5 weeks after receiving conventional antituberculous therapy. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intradural extramedullary long segmental mass mimicking en plaque meningioma at the T2-T6 vertebrae levels. Prompt surgical decompression was performed. A histology examination of the mass revealed a tuberculoma. After surgery, the patient showed improved motor power and a normal bladder function. Intradural extramedullary tuberculoma of the spinal cord is rare complication of tuberculosis meningitis, which can occur as a response to conventional antituberculous therapy.

Sellar lesion: not always a pituitary adenoma.

Inflammatory lesions of the hypophysis account for 0.5% of all symptomatic diseases of the pituitary, which include lymphocytic hypophysitis, granulomatous hypophysitis with or without specific etiology and pituitary abscess. Sellar tuberculoma is a rare type of granulomatous hypophysitis. We document a case of a postmenopausal lady who presented with galactorrhea, headache and blurring of vision. Based on preliminary investigations, a clinical diagnosis of pituitary adenoma was made and the pituitary gland was surgically excised. Histopathological examination showed caseating granulomas, along with normal areas of preserved pituitary gland and a final diagnosis of tuberculous hypophysitis was made. This case is being documented due to the extremely rare involvement of the pituitary gland by granulomatous lesions such as tuberculosis and to emphasize the role of intraoperative consultation to obviate the need for radical surgery in such lesions.

A Case of Oculomotor Nerve Palsy and Choroidal Tuberculous Granuloma Associated with Tuberculous Meningoencephalitis

We report a rare case of oculomotor nerve palsy and choroidal tuberculous granuloma associated with tuberculous meningoencephalitis. A 15-year-old male visited our hospital for an acute drop of the left eyelid and diplopia. He has been on anti-tuberculous drugs (isoniazid, rifampin) for 1 year for his tuberculous encephalitis. A neurological examination revealed a conscious clear patient with isolated left oculomotor nerve palsy, which manifested as ptosis, and a fundus examination revealed choroidal tuberculoma. Other anti-tuberculous drugs (pyrazinamide, ethambutol) and a steroid (dexamethasone) were added. After 3 months on this medication, ptosis of the left upper eyelid improved and the choroidal tuberculoma decreasedin size, but a right homonymous visual field defect remained. When a patient with tuberculous meningitis presents with abrupt onset oculomotor nerve palsy, rapid re-diagnosis should be undertaken and proper treatment initiated, because the prognosis is critically dependent on the timing of adequate treatment.

False Positive and False Negative FDG-PET Scans in Various Thoracic Diseases

Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) is being used more and more to differentiate benign from malignant focal lesions and it has been shown to be more efficacious than conventional chest computed tomography (CT). However, FDG is not a cancer-specific agent, and false positive findings in benign diseases have been reported. Infectious diseases (mycobacterial, fungal, bacterial infection), sarcoidosis, radiation pneumonitis and post-operative surgical conditions have shown intense uptake on PET scan. On the other hand, tumors with low glycolytic activity such as adenomas, bronchioloalveolar carcinomas, carcinoid tumors, low grade lymphomas and small sized tumors have revealed false negative findings on PET scan. Furthermore, in diseases located near the physiologic uptake sites (heart, bladder, kidney, and liver), FDG-PET should be complemented with other imaging modalities to confirm results and to minimize false negative findings. Familiarity with these false positive and negative findings will help radiologists interpret PET scans more accurately and also will help to determine the significance of the findings. In this review, we illustrate false positive and negative findings of PET scan in a variety of diseases.

Tuberculoma hepatico: presentacion de casos y revision bibliografica / Hepatic tuberculoma: presentation of cases and literature review

El compromiso hepático por tuberculosis es una manifestación poco frecuente de dicha enfermedad, pudiéndose manifestar clínicamente de diferentes formas. Una de ellas es el tuberculoma hepático, el cual motiva nuestra presentación. Dado a que el tuberculoma hepático es poco común y los enfermos se presentan generalmente con síntomas inespecíficos, la sospecha diagnóstica sólo con la clínica del enfermo es infrecuente. El diagnostico de tuberculosis hepática generalmente es intra o postquirúrgico mediante el análisis de la muestra realizada por medio de una laparotomía o laparoscopía en el estudio de una masa hepática. Asimismo, tanto en los análisis de laboratorio como en los estudios por imágenes no hay hallazgos patognomónicos de dicha patología. El pilar principal del tratamiento es la terapia antituberculosa. Ocasionalmente se requieren intervenciones quirúrgicas o endoscópicas. El papel de la cirurgía en el tratamiento se reserva para algunas lesiones solitarias. Una vez instaurando el tratamiento adecuado su prognóstico es favorable. Se comunican 4 casos de tuberculoma hepático con diversidad en cuanto a su presentación clínica e imagenológica.

Parinaud syndrome from tuberculoma of pineal area

Computerised tomography and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] revealed obstructive hydrocephalus and a pineal mass in a 44-year-old woman who presented with headaches and Parinaud's syndrome. Although there was no major evidence of extracranial tuberculosis, and cerebrospinal fluid obtained during third ventriculostomy contained no leukocytes, stereotactic biopsy of the lesion revealed it to be a tuberculoma. MRI showed resolution of the lesion following antituberculous therapy. The implications of this case with regard to difficulties in the diagnosis of cerebral tuberculoma and the management of pineal region tumours are discussed

Pituitary tuberculoma--a case report.

Pituitary tuberculomas, mimicking adenomas are very unusual. We describe a rare case of a patient with an exclusively intrasellar mass, and who presented with severe headaches and loss of libido. The lesion was approached trans-sphenoidally and pathological examination revealed a tuberculoma. Complete removal was achieved and the patient followed on anti-tuberculous therapy.

Primary conjunctival tuberculoma: a case report.

Conjunctival tuberculoma is very rare in modern medicine. We report a case of a 34-year-old Thai female patient presenting with multiple peculiar conjunctival nodules. Two small nodules were excised and submitted for histopathological study, which showed discrete granulomatous inflammation with caseating necrosis. The acid-fast bacilli's staining for tuberculous bacteria was positive. There was no other organ involvement of active tuberculosis. The patient was then treated with systemic anti-tuberculous regimen for 6 months. The remaining lesions disappeared within the first few months of treatment. Conjunctival tuberculoma should always be considered in cases of conjunctival nodules.