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Published on: May 19, 2020
Cranio cervical tuberculous hypertrophic pachymeningitis.
Satya Bhusan Senapati1, Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra1, Srikanta Das1
1Department of Neurosurgery, SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, Odisha, India.
Tuberculous hypertrophic pachymeningitis, a rare cause of cervical spinal cord compression, can mimic idiopathic conditions. Early diagnosis and antitubercular treatment are crucial for recovery, avoiding corticosteroid-induced exacerbation.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Hypertrophic pachymeningitis involves dural fibrosis and thickening, leading to neurological deficits.
- It can be idiopathic or secondary to inflammatory/infectious causes.
- Tuberculous hypertrophic pachymeningitis in the cranio-cervical region is infrequently documented.
Observation:
- A 50-year-old female presented with progressive quadriparesis, neck stiffness, and dysphagia.
- Her condition worsened after corticosteroid administration.
- Examination revealed high cervical compressive myelo-radiculopathy and lower cranial nerve palsy.
Findings:
- Diagnosis was confirmed via serum analysis, CSF studies, and MRI.
- The patient showed improvement with antitubercular treatment.
- Multilevel cervical compressive myelo-radiculopathy with lower cranial nerve involvement was observed.
Implications:
- Consider hypertrophic pachymeningitis in multilevel cervical compressive myelo-radiculopathy with lower cranial involvement.
- Exclude infectious etiologies before diagnosing idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis.
- Corticosteroid use can exacerbate the disease if an infectious cause is present.
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