[Cerebral tuberculoma: an atypical case (author's transl)]

A case is reported of a 72 year-old female patient with multiple cerebral tuberculomas and a clinical course of 11 months that was characterized by personality changes, disorientation and progressive mental obtundation. The patient had a fatal outcome in spite of ventricular drainage and antituberculous therapy. Postmortem examination disclosed small tuberculomas in the cerebellum and brain stem, as well as residual tuberculous lesions in the upper lobe of the right lung. The clinical interest of this case lies in the old age of the patient, the rarity of the disease in western countries, and the location of tuberculomas in the brain stem with associated tuberculous meningitis. The higher incidence of cerebral tuberculomas in eastern and african countries is commented upon, and its anatomical, clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic features are reviewed. Finally, the two existing pathological forms and their respective clinical and therapeutic peculiarities are analyzed.