Neurologic sequelac of tuberculous meningitis include hemiparesis, pararesis, quadriparesis, aphasia, developmental delay, dementia, blindness, visual field defect, deafness, cranial nerve palsies, epilepsy, and hypothalamic and pituitary dysfunction. But cervical epidural abscess and cervical spondylitis are rare. A 64-year-old woman who was diagnosed as tuberculous meningitis presented a severe nerck pain and stiffness after 3 weeks of anti-tuberculous medication. Electromyopgraphy and cervical X-ray showed a cervical spondylosis with polyradiculopathy. Bur cervical MRI showed an acute cervical epidural abscess and mild cervical improvement. But about 1month of anti-tuberculous therapy, she presented a more aggravation of neck pain, neck stiffness, radicular pain, and neck motion limitation. Follow-up cervical MRI showed an more advanced cervical sondylitis. After then she has recovered slowly by cervical laminectomy with posterior stabilization and continuous anti-tuberculous medication.
Tuberculous radiculomyelitis (TBRM) is a complication of tuberculous meningitis (TBM), which has been reported rarely in the modern medical literature. We describe a case of TBRM, which developed during the treatment of TBM. A 28-year-old man suddenly developed lower back pain, flaccid paraparesis, urinary incontinence, while the TBM was improving with the treatment at 9th day after admission. Spinal MRI revealed leptomeningeal enhancement along with thoracolumbar spinal canal, thickening of nerve roots, spinal meninges and intramedullary high signal lesion in T2 level.