Case Report: Cranial Tuberculosis in a Patient without Tuberculosis Foci Elsewhere in the Body

Abstract

Cranial tuberculosis is a relatively infrequent inflammatory reaction caused by tuberculous bacilli invading the skull. Most cases of cranial tuberculosis are secondary to tuberculosis foci in other parts of the body; primary cranial tuberculosis is extremely rare. Herein, we report a case of primary cranial tuberculosis. A 50-year-old man presented to our hospital with a mass in the right frontotemporal region. Chest computed tomography and abdominal ultrasonography findings were normal. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed a mass in the right frontotemporal skull and scalp with cystic changes, adjacent bone destruction, and meningeal invasion. The patient underwent surgery and was diagnosed with primary cranial tuberculosis; he was treated with antitubercular therapy postoperatively. No recurrent masses or abscesses were observed during the follow-up.