[Intramedullary tuberculoma of the conus: a case report]

Abstract

Tuberculomas of the spinal cord are rare. The objective of this study was to illustrate the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculomas of the conus medullaris. They must be suspected in patients with a clinical context and a typical spinal cord mass lesion. Treatment is primarily medical. Surgery is reserved for cases of rapid neurological deterioration or doubts concerning the diagnosis. We report a case of intramedullary tuberculoma of the conus in a 27-year-old woman with paresthesias and weakness of the lower limbs who had been treated for pulmonary tuberculosis. The spinal MR showed a characteristic intramedullary ring-enhancing lesion. She improved neurologically one month after the beginning of the antituberculous drugs and a laminectomy. Seven months later, the patient is asymptomatic and the lesion has nearly completely disappeared completely.