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Case Reports
. 2023 Jun 2;35(1):v35i1a13980.
doi: 10.17159/2078-516X/2023/v35i1a13980. eCollection 2023.

The great pretender: Multi-system tuberculosis and pathological fracture masquerading as a severe acute football groin injury - Case study with a 5-year follow-up

M Lichaba  1   2 , W Diesel  1 , D Constantinou  1   2
Affiliations
Case Reports

The great pretender: Multi-system tuberculosis and pathological fracture masquerading as a severe acute football groin injury - Case study with a 5-year follow-up

M Lichaba et al. S Afr J Sports Med. .

Abstract

In this clinical case, a man presented with a groin injury on his dominant side, which he apparently sustained in football (soccer) practice on the previous day. The man was unable to walk unassisted and had to be transported in a wheelchair. The consulting practitioner grew suspicious upon finding minimal clinical evidence and nothing notable on the X-ray to suggest a severe acute injury. A subsequent detailed workup revealed extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) of the musculoskeletal (MSK) and genitourinary tract (GUT) systems, complicated by a pathological fracture of the acetabulum, as the cause of the groin injury. Management of the EPTB resolved the condition with no relapse nor long-term sequelae beyond five years, despite being immunocompromised. We present the clinical case and a five year follow-up. The case serves as a reminder of the possibility that other conditions may mimic sports injuries and further illustrates a rare presentation of such a condition.

Keywords: AIDS; HIV; acetabular fracture; extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest and source of funding: The authors declare no conflict of interest and no source of funding.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(A) X-ray of the pelvis AP view; (B) X-ray of the right hip AP view; (C) Lumbar spine X-ray, AP view; (D) Lumbar spine X-ray lateral view
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
CT scan lumbar spine and pelvis AP and lateral views
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Ultrasound of the left scrotum
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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