scholarly journals Spectrum of mycobacterial pathogens responsible for head and neck tuberculosis-like presentation

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiran Bala ◽  
Sanjana Kumari ◽  
Rabia Monga ◽  
Prem Sagar ◽  
Alok Thakar ◽  
...  

Tuberculosis (TB) of the head and neck can be contained in the lymph nodes, larynx, oropharynx, salivary glands, nose and paranasal sinuses, ear, skin and skull. Head and neck TB presentations are varied in nature and thus difficult to diagnose. The clinical features, radiological findings, microbiological diagnostic modalities, surgical and medical management and outcomes of nine cases of head and neck TB are discussed in detail here, together with a thorough review of the literature. Patients presented with atypical symptoms such as discharging sinus, ear lobule swelling, otitis media, vision loss and facial weakness, long refractory otorrhoea and granulation tissue in the ear canal. We diagnosed tubercular skull base osteomyelitis (one case) and laryngeal tuberculosis (two cases), mastoid tuberculosis (one case) and non-tubercular mycobacterial infection involving the temporal bone (two cases), sino-nasal region (one case), maxilla (one cases) and ear lobule (one case) over a period of 8 months. All patients were managed successfully with a combination of surgery and a well-planned treatment regimen for non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) or anti-tubercular drugs for TB. All had successful outcomes except one patient with tubercular skull base osteomyelitis who expired before the initiation of anti-tubercular therapy (ATT). High clinical suspicion followed by thorough diagnostic work-up for both TB and NTM would enable early diagnosis and complete treatment.

2005 ◽  
Vol 133 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amar Singh ◽  
Mazin Al Khabori

OBJECTIVE: We sought to document the diagnostic and management difficulties in masked skull base osteomyelitis secondary to malignant otitis externa, with emphasis on establishing diagnostic criteria in recurrence. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of 3 cases of inadequately treated malignant otitis externa in elderly diabetic individuals leading to recurrence and atypical manifestations of skull base osteomyelitis on contralateral side with or without multiple cranial nerve involvement. RESULTS: Two of the 3 cases died of the disease despite aggressive treatment. One case was treated successfully with combination of antipsuedamonal microbial drugs for 8 to 12 weeks and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Major complications such as thrombosis of lateral sinus and internal jugular vein, meningitis, ophthalmoplegia, blindness, cervical spine erosion and paralysis of all cranial nerves with exception of Ist cranial nerve were observed. CONCLUSION: There is high morbitity and mortality associated with skull base osteomyelitis. In partially treated cases of malignant otitis externa, atypical symptoms and findings of unilateral severe otalgia, unremitting headache, and presence of high ESR, unilateral OME, constitute diagnostic clues of skull base osteomyelitis. Such cases require further investigation with CT, MRI, Technetium 99 and gallium 67 scintigraphy and aggressive management.


Skull Base ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (S 2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nevo Margalit ◽  
Oren Cavel ◽  
Roee Landsberg ◽  
Ziv Gil ◽  
Dan Fliss

Skull Base ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (S 2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Ampil ◽  
Cherie Nathan ◽  
Gloria Caldito ◽  
Anil Nanda ◽  
Timothy Lian

Author(s):  
Sima Sayyahmelli ◽  
Zhaoliang Sun ◽  
Emel Avci ◽  
Mustafa K. Başkaya

AbstractAnterior clinoidal meningiomas (ACMs) remain a major neurosurgical challenge. The skull base techniques, including extradural clinoidectomy and optic unroofing performed at the early stage of surgery, provide advantages for improving the extent of resection, and thereby enhancing overall outcome, and particularly visual function. Additionally, when the anterior clinoidal meningiomas encase neurovascular structures, particularly the supraclinoid internal carotid artery and its branches, this further increases morbidity and decreases the extent of resection. Although it might be possible to remove the tumor from the artery wall despite complete encasement or narrowing, the decision of whether the tumor can be safely separated from the arterial wall ultimately must be made intraoperatively.The patient is a 75-year-old woman with right-sided progressive vision loss. In the neurological examination, she only had light perception in the right eye without any visual acuity or peripheral loss in the left eye. MRI showed a homogeneously enhancing right-sided anterior clinoidal mass with encasing and narrowing of the supraclinoid internal carotid artery (ICA). Computed tomography (CT) angiography showed a mild narrowing of the right supraclinoid ICA with associated a 360-degree encasement. The decision was made to proceed using a pterional approach with extradural anterior clinoidectomy and optic unroofing. The surgery and postoperative course were uneventful. MRI confirmed gross total resection (Figs. 1 and 2). The histopathology was a meningothelial meningioma, World Health Organization (WHO) grade I. The patient continues to do well without any recurrence and has shown improved vision at 15-month follow-up.This video demonstrates important steps of the microsurgical skull base techniques for resection of these challenging tumors.The link to the video can be found at https://youtu.be/vt3o1c2o8Z0


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e001870
Author(s):  
Angelo Dipasquale ◽  
Pasquale Persico ◽  
Elena Lorenzi ◽  
Daoud Rahal ◽  
Armando Santoro ◽  
...  

By the beginning of the global pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 infection has dramatically impacted on oncology daily practice. In the current oncological landscape, where immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of several malignancies, distinguishing between COVID-19 and immune-mediated pneumonitis can be hard because of shared clinical, radiological and pathological features. Indeed, their common mechanism of aberrant inflammation could lead to a mutual and amplifying interaction.We describe the case of a 65–year-old patient affected by metastatic squamous head and neck cancer and candidate to an experimental therapy including an anti-PD-L1 agent. COVID-19 ground-glass opacities under resolution were an incidental finding during screening procedures and worsened after starting immunotherapy. The diagnostic work-up was consistent with ICIs-related pneumonia and it is conceivable that lung injury by SARS-CoV-2 has acted as an inflammatory primer for the development of the immune-related adverse event.Patients recovered from COVID-19 starting ICIs could be at greater risk of recall immune-mediated pneumonitis. Nasopharyngeal swab and chest CT scan are recommended before starting immunotherapy. The awareness of the phenomenon could allow an easier interpretation of radiological changes under treatment and a faster diagnostic work-up to resume ICIs. In the presence of clinical benefit, for asymptomatic ICIs-related pneumonia a watchful-waiting approach and immunotherapy prosecution are suggested.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. e231062
Author(s):  
Simon Biart ◽  
Janki Panicker

We present an unusual case of skull base osteomyelitis in an 88-year-old woman. She presented with gradual onset unilateral headache and diplopia. On examination, there was evidence of a left-sided Horner’s and ipsilateral sixth nerve palsy. In addition to persistent raised inflammatory markers, an MRI neck identified signal change in the petrous bone confirming a diagnosis of skull base osteomyelitis. Skull base osteomyelitis should be considered in presentations of subacute raised inflammatory markers in the context of ipsilateral cranial nerve signs.


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