Multifocal skeletal tuberculosis presenting as paraplegia: A case report

Article type: Case Report

Authors: Gur, Ali | Altindag, Ozlem | Karagullu, Hilal^{; *} | Koca, Irfan | Madenci, Ercan

Affiliations: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Gaziantep University Research Hospital, Gaziantep, Turkey

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Hilal Karagullu, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Gaziantep University Research Hospital, Gaziantep, Turkey. Tel.: +90 0 342 3606060; E-mail: hilalkaragullu@hotmail.com

Abstract: Background:Tuberculosis of the musculoskeletal system is not a common clinical condition; however, multifocal bone involvement is even rarer and difficult to recognize. Case:In this paper, we presented a patient who developed paraplegia 15 days before his hospital admission. He was operated by neurosurgeons due to spinal mass, but postoperative examination revealed vertebral and multifocal skeletal tuberculosis. It is difficult to diagnose this condition by conventional imaging methods. The importance of positron emission tomography (PET) in the diagnosis of skeletal tuberculosis was emphasized. Result:The importance of rehabilitation program in restoring functionality was overviewed in the light of current literature. Vertebral and osteoarticular tuberculosis should be considered in patients with vertebral and thoracic mass presenting with neurological deficits.

Keywords: Skeletal tuberculosis, spinal cord injury, positron emission tomography

DOI: 10.3233/BMR-130428

Journal: Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 239-245, 2014