Surgical strategy for tuberculous brain abscess with dural infiltration: A case report

Background: Tuberculosis is one of the top 10 leading causes of death worldwide. Although tuberculous central complications account for 1% of all tuberculosis patients, there are many cases of medical resistance; and early surgical treatment is required for brain abscess. Reports on tuberculous brain abscesses with dural infiltration are rare, and there are no reports on surgical treatment methods. Case Description: An 81-year-old man was presented with the right arm paresis. His recent medical history included a 6-month course of immunosuppressants, and steroids prescribed for ulcerative colitis, and four antituberculosis drugs had been started 2 months before for relapse of pulmonary tuberculosis at an early age. Head T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging with administration of gadolinium showed two ring-enhanced lesions in the left precentral gyrus and continuous with the dura mater. Surgery was performed and he was pathologically diagnosed with a tuberculous brain abscess. Since the pathological diagnosis revealed dura mater invasion, we removed the dura mater and reconstructed by periosteum. After the surgery, the symptoms gradually improved, and the abscess and edema improved when viewed on the image. Despite the administration of steroids for ulcerative colitis without antituberculosis drugs, no recurrence was observed for 1 year. Recurrence of tuberculous brain abscess is a major problem in immunosuppressed patients, but it is considered that the relapse could be prevented by removing the dural infiltration. Conclusion: In cases of tuberculous brain abscess with dural infiltration, it is considered that the recurrence can be prevented even in an immunosuppressed state by removing the dura.

Tuberculosis: a great masquerader

Central nervous system tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the most severe form of tuberculosis, accounting for 1% of all TB cases. Intracranial tuberculosis can present as Tuberculous meningitis, Tuberculous encephalopathy, Tuberculous vasculitis, CNS tuberculomas and Tuberculous brain abscess. Here authors present a case of a 10-year-old girl who presented with insidious onset of early morning vomiting, excessive sleepiness with classical neuroimaging findings of intracranial tuberculosis. Authors emphasise that intracranial tuberculoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any intracranial space-occupying lesion with or without pulmonary involvement.