Occurrence of multidrug-resistant tuberculous meningitis associated with injury during spinal surgery: A case report

Here we describe a case of multidrug-resistant tuberculous meningitis associated with injury inflicted during spinal surgery. A 54-year-old man was diagnosed with multidrug-resistant spinal tuberculosis (TB). Anterior debridement and fusion with posterior fusion and instrumentation were conducted to...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mingwei Zhao, Ling Liu, Miao Wang, Weidong Zhou, Minglei Zhang, Han Xiao, Yu Pang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2020-10-01
Series:Journal of Infection and Public Health
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876034120304883
Description
Summary:Here we describe a case of multidrug-resistant tuberculous meningitis associated with injury inflicted during spinal surgery. A 54-year-old man was diagnosed with multidrug-resistant spinal tuberculosis (TB). Anterior debridement and fusion with posterior fusion and instrumentation were conducted to remove damaged bone and TB-associated granulomatous tissue. After surgical decompression, a lancet wound (about 5 mm in length) was discovered in the cerebral dura mater at the L3 position of the vertebral body. At four weeks post-surgery, the patient experienced fever, hemiparesis, and aphasia. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings were consistent with TB meningitis, while in vitro susceptibility test results confirmed that the patient had multidrug-resistant TB. Our data highlight a possible TBM infection associated with a surgical lesion in a spinal TB patient. Rapid molecular diagnostics are urgently needed to formulate efficacious regimens for treating these patients.
ISSN:1876-0341