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Spinal tuberculosis-associated symptoms are not so unique as to immediately indicate the proper diagnosis in most cases. Distinguishing spinal tuberculosis (Pott's disease) from pyogenic spondylitis is often difficult, and lesions metastatic from systemic malignancy are the other major entity from which spinal tuberculosis must be distinguished.
A 27-year-old male patient presented with a history of back pain after a minor trauma 1 month ago. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the thoracic spine showed multiple osteolytic bone lesions at the bodies of T9, T10 and T11 vertebrae and the spinous processes of T12 and L1. Other noncontiguous osteolytic lesions were noted at S2 body and right sacro-iliac joint.
To confirm the pathologic diagnosis, the patient underwent an open biopsy for the T12 and L1 spinous process lesions and a percutaneous transpedicular biopsy on T9, T10, T11 lesions. Frozen biopsy was reported as compatible with chronic granulomatous caseating necrosis without malignant cells. The final diagnosis was an atypical presentation of multiple spinal tuberculosis. The patient received an appropriate enteral anti-tuberculosis therapy and recovered without any complications. Follow-up MRI taken after a year of medical treatment revealed marked resolution of the lesions.
Current research indicates the incidence of multi-level noncontiguous, remote vertebral tuberculosis is 1.1% to 16%. Because tuberculous spondylitis could represent variant and atypical pattern, the disease should be considered in differential diagnosis along with other diseases such as metastatic neoplasm, pyogenic spondylitis, especially when the radiologic studies are revealing multiple spinal lesions.
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A 76-year-old woman with compression fracture of L1 underwent percutaneous balloon kyphoplasty using polymethyl methacrylate. Three years after kyphoplasty of L1, the patient was readmitted with severe low back pain. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed progressive collapse of L1 vertebra and new compression fracture at T12. There were no signs of infection. As conservative treatment failed, combined surgery consisting of anterior corpectomy of T12 and L1, interposition of a titanium mesh cage filled with autologous rib graft, and anterior instrumentation of T11-L2 was performed. Histologic examination showed granulomatous inflammation surrounding the cement. Polymerase chain reaction and culture of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis of tuberculosis. The anti-tuberculous medications were administered for 10 months, and the patient recovered without any sequelae. Tuberculous spondylitis should be included in the differential diagnosis of spondylitis after cement augmentation. If conservative antibiotic therapy fails, resection of the infected bone-cement complex is indicated.
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