Paediatric Spina Ventosa: tuberculous dactylitis of the thumb can be a mislaid differential diagnosis - case report.

The authors report a rare case of pediatric tuberculous dactylitis of the thumb with flexor tendon involvement in a child with multiple failed treatment attempts. The patient was diagnosed, treated and the outcome of the one-year follow-up was excellent. Extra pulmonary tuberculosis frequently surprises clinicians with aberrant presentations, which may be missed during radiographic studies, if not considered in differential diagnosis amid its rare location in the appendicular skeleton. This has been highlighted in this rare case of a girl in her mid-childhood with a spindle-shaped swelling with discharging sinuses at the right thumb proximal phalanx. Scenarios mimicking similar presentations such as Enchondromatosis, Chronic pyogenic osteomyelitis, Brodie's abscess and Actinomycosis, can be misleading. Several researchers have proffered up such rare cases, but after the anti-tubercular therapy era, the incidence has been exceptionally reduced. Still, a high index of suspicion can be helpful to avoid missing the diagnosis.

Bilateral tuberculous dactylitis of both hand and feet in a female toddler: a case report on a rare presentation of skeletal tuberculosis in children.

BACKGROUND: Even though tuberculosis is a common disease among children in developing countries, tuberculous dactylitis is an uncommon form of Skeletal tuberculosis specially with involvement of both the hands and feet. CASE PRESENTATION: A one-and-a-half-year-old previously healthy female Ethiopian toddler presented to our pediatric outpatient clinic with a history of two-month duration of painful multiple swellings over both her hands and feet. The swelling involved the proximal phalanx of the left index finger, dorsum of the right hand, and dorsum of both feet over the first metatarsal bone. Physical examination, radiologic findings, and histopathology suggested tuberculous dactylitis. The patient was treated with anti-tuberculosis drugs for one year and she showed clinical and radiologic improvement and recovery. CONCLUSION: Tubercular dactylitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of children from endemic areas presenting with bone and joint pain or swelling. Our experience of a twelve-month course of antitubercular treatment, which is in line with WHO recommendations, for skeletal tuberculosis, showed excellent outcomes.

Spina Ventosa of the Left Index Finger in an Indian Girl With No Pulmonary Involvement: A Rare Case.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a significant issue in endemic countries. The most common manifestation of skeletal tuberculosis in children is spondylitis, also known as Pott disease, but it may rarely involve small bones. Usually, a pulmonary focus is present from where the bacteria reach the extremities, but an isolated tuberculous involvement of the left index finger in a child without any pulmonary seeding is rare. It is a challenging diagnosis due to a lack of awareness among primary care physicians, the paucibacillary nature of the disease, and overlapping clinical features with other musculoskeletal disorders. A 13-year-old girl was brought in with complaints of pain, swelling, and discharging sinuses from her left index finger. A diagnosis was achieved after a histopathological correlation of clinical and radiological findings. She was started on anti-tubercular treatment for 12 months.

Tuberculous Dactylitis in a Case of Multiple Scrofuloderma.

This paper reports a case of tuberculous dactylitis and multiple scrofuloderma spreading through the lymph nodes. Scrofuloderma, also known as tuberculosis colliquativa cutis, is a form of cutaneous tuberculosis (TB) that occurs most often in children and young adults and involves the skin over the infection focus (i.e., lymph nodes, bones, or joints). Scrofuloderma can affect the lower limbs and upper arms by spreading osteomyelitis TB on the humerus, wrist, and elbow. This study reports the case of a 19-year-old man who initially developed painful and swollen skin, followed by the appearance of numerous recurring lumps on the left arm and hand and the right foot, as well as the folding right hamstring, over 3 years. The patient had no clinical improvement with antibiotics and excision. Radiography of the left hand showed tuberculous dactylitis. A biopsy of the left arm was performed, and Ziehl-Neelsen staining showed acid-fast bacilli. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was confirmed by a real-time polymerase chain reaction. Anti-TB drug treatment was initiated with rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol, and debridement was performed on the left hand, which resulted in significant improvement of the lesion. Atypical clinical manifestations and unawareness of M. tuberculosis as an underlying disease delayed the diagnosis and treatment of this patient with tuberculous dactylitis and multiple scrofuloderma.

Spina Ventosa; Isolated tuberculous osteomyelitis of the little finger: A forgotten differential diagnosis.

Isolated tuberculous dactylitis is a rare form of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis that frequently eludes assessment and constitutes diagnostic challenges. This case reminds physicians of keeping tuberculosis (TB) as a differential when dealing with chronic finger ulcers to avoid devastating consequences.

Outcome of Neglected Versus Treated Tuberculous Dactylitis in the Same Patient - A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Skeletal tuberculosis is a rare form of extrapulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. When tubular bones are affected, it is called tuberculous dactylitis (TD). This rare entity can be seen in the hand or foot and has been mentioned in a handful of case reports. CASE REPORT: A 56-year-old female patient presented to our clinic for left hand middle finger swelling and pain of 1-year duration. Her medical history was relevant for 15 years history of progressive 4th and 5th fingers malformations that were attributed to "sarcoidosis," and for which she was treated with anti-inflammatory and low dose steroids therapy. At our clinic, physical examination was consistent with a swelling of the base of the middle finger associated with tenderness and decreased range of motion. Radiographs of the hand showed a lytic lesion involving the distal half of the first phalanx, along with blurred limits of the bone surfaces involved. An magnetic resonance imaging was ordered and showed hyper-intense signal of the first phalanx, along with subcutaneous enclosed collections on both sides of the phalanx. Surgical debridement with open biopsy and culture was done. Pathology results showed caseating granulomas, and cultures confirmed the diagnosis of TD. A computed tomography scan of the chest was done postoperatively; where few calcified nodules were noted. She also received a 9-months course of anti-tuberculous drugs and had complete cure by 9 months postoperatively. CONCLUSION: TD of the hand is a very rare entity of the spectrum of extrapulmonary M. tuberculosis infection. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion concerning this pathology not to delay the diagnosis, which could lead to permanent deformity. Early diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve outcomes.

Tuberculous Dactylitis in Adult - A Case Report and Review of Literature.

INTRODUCTION: Tubercular dactylitis is an uncommon form of musculoskeletal tuberculosis (TB), especially after the age of 5 years without any risk factors. CASE REPORT: A case of 49-year-old male presented with pain, swelling, and discharging sinus of proximal phalanx of third digit of the right hand with no constitutional symptoms for 2 years, with multiple failed treatment in form of antibiotic therapy. There were no risk factors such as immunodeficiency or any co-morbidities. The plain radiograph was suggestive of increased bone density with mild periosteal reaction; magnetic resonance imaging was suggestive of tubercular osteomyelitis. A biopsy was performed, the gene expert of the sample revealed TB with no drug resistance. The patient was managed with anti-tubercular drugs with complete resolution of clinical and radiological symptoms at 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: TB should be considered a differential in patients with chronic soft-tissue or skeletal lesions even in the absence of the usual risk factors because with treatment it still carries a good prognosis.

Tuberculous Dactylitis: An Uncommon Presentation of Skeletal Tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: Skeletal involvement accounts 1-5% of all cases of Tuberculosis. The vertebrae are more commonly affected. The bones of the hands are more affected than the bones of the feet. The term "spina ventosa" has been used to describe this disorder because of its radiographic features of cystic expansion of the involved short tubular bones. Tuberculous dactylitis mainly occurs through lympho-hematogenous spread. The lung is the primary focus in 75% of cases. CASE DETAILS: A 4 years old female child developed a painless swelling on her left index finger two months prior to her presentation. Following an unsuccessful treatment as a case of osteomyelitis with antibiotics, imaging showed an expansile lytic lesion with sclerosis, and fine needle aspiration confirmed tuberculous dactylitis. The child was initiated on anti-tubercular treatment with subsequent marked clinical and radiologic improvement. CONCLUSION: Presence of longstanding finger swelling and pain should alert a clinician to consider active disseminated tuberculosis. Furthermore, proper interpretation of imaging and use of fine needle aspiration has been highlighted.

Spina ventosa with lupus vulgaris and lymphadenopathy: Multifocal tuberculosis.

Tuberculous dactylitis is a rare yet well-recognized disease of small bones of the hands and feet. It occurs in young children below five years of age. Tubercular dactylitis with lupus vulgaris and lymphadenopathy was suspected clinically and radiologically in an 8-year-old girl who had multiple soft tissue swelling of hands and feet with ulceration, encrustations, and an atrophic scar with lytic expansile lesions of the small bones of the hands and feet. Tubercular lymph node involvement was confirmed histopathologically.

Case report: "spina ventosa" tuberculous dactylitis in a 2 year old boy - a very rare disease.

Tuberculous infection of metacarpals, metatarsals and phalanges is known as tuberculous dactylitis. There is a spindle shaped expansion of the short tubular bones due to tuberculous granuloma. Hence it is also known as spina ventosa. In our case, a two year old boy with a swelling in the metacarpal was provisionally diagnosed as enchondromata while the possibility of spina ventosa was kept in mind. He was posted for excision of the metacarpal followed by bone grafting. Histopathological examination report confirmed it as spina ventosa.