Case Report of Tuberculous Anterior Chest Wall Abscess
Life Sciences-General Surgery
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22376/ijlpr.2023.13.6.L450-L455Keywords:
Anterior chest wall abscess, chest wall tuberculosis, musculoskeletal TB, Tuberculosis, cold abscessAbstract
In developing nations such as India, tuberculosis is a problem for public health. Chest wall tuberculosis is uncommonand frequently manifests as a cold abscess or pseudo tumoral mass necessitating surgical biopsy. One to three percent of individualswith TB develop musculoskeletal tuberculosis (TB), and one to five percent of cases with musculoskeletal TB involve the chestwall. A 38-year-old female presented with anterior chest wall swelling. The patient reported history of pulmonary tuberculosis inchildhood for which she was treated with anti-tuberculous drugs for a duration of six months. Examination revealed swelling,which was smooth, fluctuant with well-defined borders along with palpable axillary lymph nodes. Investigations revealed a thickwalled cystic lesion for which she was proceeded with incision and drainage. Caseous pus which was drained was positive fortuberculosis. The patient was started on anti-tuberculous treatment and continued for 6 months. Extrapulmonary TB is currentlyless common in immunocompetent patients than in non-immunocompetent ones. The location of the tuberculous abscess and thepatient's immunocompetence both contribute to the rarity of the present instance. Clinicians still struggle to make the correctdiagnosis of musculoskeletal tuberculous infection, which calls for a high degree of suspicion. The diagnosis is highly supported bythe slow development of symptoms, positive tuberculin skin test, and congruent radiographic findings. However, TB must beshown by a positive culture or histological evidence. To avoid catastrophic bone and joint destruction, prompt diagnosis andtherapy are crucial.
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Copyright (c) 2023 Dr. Suprajaa Desingu, Dr Karthikeyan Selvaraj, Dr. Ravishankar
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