A spinal tumor or tuberculosis - a case report and short literature review

Introduction. Among infectious diseases, tuberculosis ranks first in terms of morbidity and mortality. It mainly affects the lungs, but it can affect any organ body. Case Report. A 29-year old female patient, bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccinated, human immunodeficiency virus-negative, non-smoker, active athlete, presented with magnetic resonance imaging spine indicating vertebral body collapse Th10 signs intraosseous infiltration, extraosseous prevertebral, extracorporeal spread into spinal canal. Corpectomy Th11 an anterior fusion Th9-12 was performed by neurosurgical intervention. Histopathological examination confirmed a necrotic granulomatous inflammation. No acid-fast bacilli were seen Ziehl-Neelsen staining, while Mycobacterium culture positive. Chest X-ray computed tomography normal, induced sputum smear microscopy negative for tuberculosis. The antituberculosis therapy lasted 12 months. Conclusion. Spinal is differential diagnostic problem relation to pyogenic infections metastatic bone tumors.