Intracranial tuberculomas and the CAT scan

Abstract

Tuberculomas of the brain are rare in the United States. Although CAT (computerized axial tomography) scanning cannot distinguish these infections from other intracranial mass lesions, it provides a non-invasive technique with which to follow the course of presumptive lesions during medical therapy, and with which to search for clinically unsuspected infections. The necessity for and timing of surgery can be considered more easily with this technique. Two cases are presented with their CAT scans, including one example of the disappearance of a presumptive tuberculoma, during appropriate medical therapy.

A rare third ventricle solitary tuberculoma

“…For many authors [4, 9–10], an antituberculous chemotherapy has to be establish without necessary biopsy when the diagnosis of tuberculoma is reasonably likely and outside quite intracranial pressure increase.…”

Diagnostic and therapeutic role of ct-guided stereotactic surgery in the management of intracranial tuberculomas

“…Radiological methods are also of limited use. Although CAT (computerized axial tomography) scanning is a non-invasive technique useful in the follow-up of presumptive lesions during medical therapy and in identification of clinically unsuspected lesions deserving further investigation, it cannot distinguish tuberculomas from other intracranial mass lesions (16,25). MRI is believed to be more specific in diagnosing tuberculomas than CT scan, but not always with accuracy (26,28,29,34).…”

Zur Entstehung zerebraler Tuberkulome während der Behandlung einer tuberkulösen Meningoenzephalitis

“…(1970) fanden bei 75 indischen Kindern, die an einer tuberkulösen Meningoenzephalitis gestorben waren, bei 22 meist multiple Tuberkulome (4). Erst durch die Computertomographie (CT) ist es moglich geworden, zerebrale Tuberkulome exakter zu erfassen, wie dies aus zahireichen Publikationen der letzten Jahre hervorgeht (9,11,12,14,15,19,25). Dabei lieg sich auch die Ruckbildungsfähigkeit durch eine effiziente Tuberkulosebehandlung (14,25) beweisen.…”