Turkish Neurosurgery 2015 , Vol 25 , Num 2
Intracranial Giant Tuberculoma Mimicking Brain Tumor: A Case Report
Sua SUMER1, Ender KOKTEKIR2, Nazlim AKTUG DEMIR1, Gokhan AKDEMIR2
1Selcuk University, School of Medicine, Department of Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology, Konya, Turkey
2Selcuk University, School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Konya, Turkey
DOI : 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.9998-13.1 Tuberculomas are small tumor-like lumps that can be seen, usually in large numbers, in central nervous system involvement of tuberculosis. Giant tuberculomas that are big enough to cause symptoms of compression are also encountered, though rarely. When they are really large, tuberculomas may result in increased intracranial compression, neurologic deficits, or epileptic attacks. Giant tuberculomas may be confused with brain tumors on cranial magnetic resonance imaging. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging and histopathology examinations are used for diagnosis. Although magnetic resonance imaging is useful for diagnosing tuberculoma, histopathology examination is the gold standard for a final diagnosis. This paper presents a case involving a 66-year-old patient who complained of headache, imbalance and dizziness, and underwent an operation in the neurosurgery clinic with a pre-diagnosis of brain tumor, and was then diagnosed with intracranial giant tuberculoma. Keywords : Brain tumor, Giant tuberculoma, Tuberculosis
Corresponding author : Sua Sumer, suasumer@gmail.com