Large pontine tubercular abscess treated surgically

Abstract

Tuberculosis of the central nervous system (CNS) is a life threatening condition with 50% mortality in advanced disease and serious neurological deficits in those who survive. Tuberculous abscess is a rare manifestation of CNS tuberculosis, brainstem involvement being even rarer. The management of these conditions poses a great challenge to the treating physician. We report a case of large tubercular abscess of pons which increased in size on anti-tubercular treatment, but showed excellent improvement following craniotomy and aspiration.

Keywords::

• tubercular abscess
• brainstem
• aspiration drainage

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.