Central nervous system tuberculous abscess

Abstract 

Central nervous system tuberculosis (CNS TB), uncommon in developed countries, still constitutes a significant proportion of brain mass lesions in developing countries. With the consistent increase in TB in the third world and the increase in immigration to Western countries, we can also expect to see an increase in the incidence of CNS TB. We present a case of cerebral TB in a patient two years after immigrating to Canada. A timely diagnosis of cerebral TB was even more complicated in this patient, who was known to have chronic migraine. There was no evidence of pulmonary involvement and the only abnormality on chest CT scan was mediastinal lymphadenopathy.

Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Extrapulmonary tuberculosis, Brain abscess