Posterior fossa tuberculoma in a Huichol native Mexican child: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis is a major health concern in Mexico, especially among the native population. Tuberculomas are a frequent and severe complication of pediatric tuberculosis, these are observed as tumors in neuroimaging studies but are often not diagnosed adequately. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a 12-year-old native Mexican girl Huichol ethnicity diagnosed with a large posterior fossa tuberculoma found by imaging. This tuberculoma was surgically removed. Histopathologic examination and staining with hematoxylin and eosin, and Ziehl-Neelsen techniques of the surgical specimen were performed. Cerebrospinal fluid was analyzed by using the newly available Xpert® MTB/RIF assay (Cepheid, Sunnyvale CA, USA). Granulomatous inflammation with central caseous necrosis surrounded by edematous brain with reactive gliosis and acid-fast bacilli were revealed on histopathologic analysis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA susceptible to rifampicin was detected in the patient's cerebrospinal fluid and the patient was started on anti-tuberculosis treatment. The girl continued to show severe neurologic damage despite surgery and anti-tuberculosis treatment, and she eventually died of respiratory complications. CONCLUSION: Our case highlights the need for early confirmation of tuberculoma diagnosis by molecular assay so that timely treatment can be initiated to prevent severe brain damage. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need to consider tuberculomas in the differential diagnosis of children with neurologic symptoms living in areas of high tuberculosis incidence and those belonging to native populations in developing countries.

Atypical forms of the osmotic demyelination syndrome.

Osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS) is the damage over the central nervous system caused by several electrolytes, metabolic and toxic disorders. We aimed to describe cases of unusual forms of ODS. In a 9-year period, 25 consecutive patients with ODS (15 men; mean age 42 years) were registered in our referral institution, among them, four (16 %) with atypical neuroimaging findings were abstracted for this communication. None of them presented cardiorespiratory arrest, head trauma, seizures, neuromyelitis optica spectrum or contact with toxic chemicals. Case 1 was a 33-year-old alcoholic man without hypertension or electrolyte imbalance, who presented a classic central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) and a hemorrhage within the pons. Case 2 was a 34-year-old alcoholic man with hypoglycemia and hyponatremia who presented CPM and diffuse bihemispheric extrapontine myelinolysis (EPM) after correction of serum sodium. Case 3 was a 52-year-old woman with mild hypokalemia and hyponatremia (inadequately corrected), who presented a peduncular and cerebellar EPM. Case 4 was a 67-year-old woman who had a suicidal attempt with antidepressants and carbamazepine without impaired consciousness, who complicated with mild hyponatremia associated with a classical CPM and a spinal cord EPM. Case 2 died and the rest remained with variable neurological impairments at last follow-up visit. With modern neuroimaging, the so-called atypical forms of ODS may not be as rare as previously thought; however, they could have a more adverse outcome than the classical ODS.