POTT��S DISEASE AND GIANT
TUBERCULOUS ABSCESS. A CASE DISCUSSION
Huerta JF, Pacheco E,
Escobar V, Contreras A
Centro
Medico Nacional ��20 de Noviembre�� I.S.S.S.T.E. Mexico D.F. Mexico
Tuberculosis is a disease known since ancient times and it has been arising
again as a health problem in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO)
has estimated that about one third of the population in the world is
infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and this is the most frequent
handicap and death��s etiology, with a death rate of almost 3 millions in a
year. In USA the fifth part of the new tuberculosis cases has been
associated with extra lung disease, and patients with AIDS represent the
third part of the cases.
We describe to a toddle male aged 3 years old, from Tampico,
Tamaulipas, M��xico, with positive Combe. He began the symptoms when he was
one year and 8 months old with problems for walking, deformity in the t��rax
column (xyfosis), and also a painful and increasing volume in the left low
rib region. When he was admitted in the hospital, we did USG, CT and MRI
with evidence of lesion in thorax column from T8 to L1, and also a big
tumoral mass that was suggesting an abscess with spine damage. A PPD,
bacilloscopy in gastric liquid and abscess secretion y Polimerase Chain
Reaction (PCR) in gastric liquid were done and positives by Mycobacterium
tuberculosis. A low compress laminectomy was done, taking a biopsy and
draining left lumbar abscess; then we started therapy with antituberculosis
drugs.
Conclusions: This case is importan because shows the
evidence that tuberculosis is still a public world health problem, and its
complications in vertebral column are still being in pediatric ages,
causing important neurological and osteoarthropathy outcomes, even death. This
is the reason why is important the early recognition in order to give an
efficient and timely and multidiscipline therapy.