Intracranial Tuberculoma in a Pregnant Lady: A Hitherto Unknown Case and a Successful Outcome
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Published on: January 17, 2018
Roopeessh Vempati1, Periyaiyadever Samuganathan2, Prithvi Raghavan3
1Internal Medicine, Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Hyderabad, IND.
Central nervous system tuberculosis (CNS-TB) is rarely suspected in pregnancy because its clinical presentation may masquerade other common conditions in pregnancy, such as eclampsia. In high tuberculosis endemic areas, CNS-TB should be suspected with a high degree of suspicion among unimmunized and immunocompromised individuals. We hereby report a case of a 32-year-old pregnant woman conceived by in vitro fertilization due to tubal blockage causing infertility, probably due to chronic infection, who presented with a history of multiple seizure episodes without a history of similar complaints outside this pregnancy. Obstetric examination revealed a gravid uterus larger than the corresponding gestational age, and an antenatal scan confirmed dichorionic diamniotic twins with the first twin in the breech and the second twin in the cephalic presentation. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed multiple nodular lesions of varying sizes that were isointense on T1-weighted imaging and hypointense on T2-weighted imaging in multiple regions of the brain, which suggest tuberculomas. A preterm cesarean section was performed at 31 weeks gestational age due to preterm rupture of membranes. We report this case to enlighten the physicians in diagnosing seizures causing intracranial tuberculoma in pregnant women and utilizing the role of imaging in diagnosis.
Central nervous system tuberculosis (CNS-TB) is rarely suspected in pregnancy because its clinical presentation may masquerade other common conditions in pregnancy, such as eclampsia. In high tuberculosis endemic areas, CNS-TB should be suspected with a high degree of suspicion among unimmunized and immunocompromised individuals. We hereby report a case of a 32-year-old pregnant woman conceived by in vitro fertilization due to tubal blockage causing infertility, probably due to chronic infection, who presented with a history of multiple seizure episodes without a history of similar complaints outside this pregnancy. Obstetric examination revealed a gravid uterus larger than the corresponding gestational age, and an antenatal scan confirmed dichorionic diamniotic twins with the first twin in the breech and the second twin in the cephalic presentation. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed multiple nodular lesions of varying sizes that were isointense on T1-weighted imaging and hypointense on T2-weighted imaging in multiple regions of the brain, which suggest tuberculomas. A preterm cesarean section was performed at 31 weeks gestational age due to preterm rupture of membranes. We report this case to enlighten the physicians in diagnosing seizures causing intracranial tuberculoma in pregnant women and utilizing the role of imaging in diagnosis.
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