Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Cervical tuberculosis in early childhood

  • Case Report
  • Published:
Child's Nervous System Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Case history

We present a case of spinal tuberculosis in a 4-year-old girl that grounds severe vertebral destruction involving four cervical vertebrae and a large abscess with retropharyngeal expansion. Presenting symptoms were neck and right arm pain, torticollis and weakness of the right arm. We drained the abscess and removed the infected bone and reconstructed the cervical spine with a fibular allograft. The neurological deficits were recovered and the torticollis was straightened up.

Conclusion

We emphasize the value of early diagnosis of spinal tuberculosis and early radical surgery with spinal reconstruction.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bailey HL, Gabriel M, Hodgson AR, Shin JS (1972) Tuberculosis of the spine in children: operative findings and results in 100 consecutive patients treated by removal of the lesion and anterior grafting. J Bone Joint Surg Am 54:1633–1657

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Bredenkamp JK, Maceri DR (1990) Inflammatory torticollis in children. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 116:310–313

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Fang D, Leong JC, Fang HSY (1983) Tuberculosis of upper cervical spine. J Bone Joint Surg Br 65:47–50

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Girdlestone GR, Somerville EW (1952) The spine. In: Tuberculosis of bone and joint. Oxford University Press, London, pp 118–170

  5. Hsu LC, Leong JC (1984) Tuberculosis of lower cervical spine (C2-C7): a report of 40 cases. J Bone Joint Surg Br 66:1–5

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. La Rocca H (1982) Spinal sepsis. In: Rothman RH, Simeone FA (eds) The spine, vol 1. Saunders, Philadelphia, pp 757–774

  7. Lifeso RM, Weaver P, Harder EH (1985) Tuberculous spondylitis in adults. J Bone Joint Surg Am 67:1405–1413

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Lukhele M (1996) Tuberculosis of the cervical spine. S Afr Med J 86:553–556

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Mathur NN, Bais AS (1997) Tubercular retropharyngeal abscess in early childhood. Indian J Pediatr 64:898–901

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Moula T, Fowles JV, Kassab MT, Sliman N (1981) Pott's paraplegia. Int Orthop 5:23–29

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Sankaran-Kutty M (1992) Atypical tuberculous spondylitis. Int Orthop 16: 69–74

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Schulitz KP, Kothe R, Leong JC, Wehling P (1997) Growth changes of solidly fused kyphotic bloc after surgery for tuberculosis. Comparison of four procedures. Spine 22:1150–1155

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Upadhyay SS, Saji MJ, Sell P, Sell B, Hsu LC (1994) Spinal deformity after childhood surgery for tuberculosis of the spine. A comparison of radical surgery and debridement. J Bone Joint Surg Br 76:91–98

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Wurtz R, Quader Z, Simon D, Langer B (1993) Cervical tuberculous vertebral osteomyelitis: case report and discussion of the literature. Clin Infect Dis 16:806–808

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of Gazi, Besevler, 06500 , Ankara, Turkey

    Fikret Dogulu, Ayhan Onk, Bulent Celik & Necdet Ceviker

  2. Resşit Galip Cad. 72/6, 06700, G.O.P. Ankara, Turkey

    Fikret Dogulu

  3. Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of Gazi, Besevler, 06500 , Ankara, Turkey

    M. Kemali Baykaner

Authors
  1. Fikret Dogulu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Kemali Baykaner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ayhan Onk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Bulent Celik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Necdet Ceviker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fikret Dogulu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dogulu, F., Baykaner, M.K., Onk, A. et al. Cervical tuberculosis in early childhood. Childs Nerv Syst 19, 192–194 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-002-0694-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-002-0694-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation