Abstract

GONZALEZ S., Edna; GARCIA A., Camila; ORTIZ P., María Gabriela  and  SANCHEZ PEREZ, Erick. Tuberculosis of the central nervous system. Acta Neurol Colomb. [online]. 2021, vol.37, n.1, suppl.1, pp.81-89.  Epub May 22, 2021. ISSN 0120-8748.  https://doi.org/10.22379/24224022338.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis meningitis is the most lethal extrapulmonary form of active tuberculosis with high prevalence in developing countries, which constitutes a public health problem. The extrapulmonary presentation that compromise the nervous system include meningeal tuberculosis, tuberculous granuloma, tuberculosis abscess and radiculomyelitis. A nonspecific clinical presentation, the lack of rapid tests with high sensitivity and specificity, the high cost and poor affordability of testing in many countries make the diagnosis more complicated. The diagnosis is based on microbiological, molecular, and host response based testing. Microbiological diagnosis is based on Ziehl - Neelsen staining and culture, the latter long considered the gold standard diagnostic test. Molecular diagnosis is more accurate using nucleic acid amplification tests, the chain reaction of polymerase, the GeneXpert MTB / RIF test, and the Xpert MTB / RIF Ultra test. Given the absence of a rapid test, there are scales that help guide the patient's diagnosis, within which the Thwaites Scale and the Marais Scale deserve to be mentioned. The treatment of tuberculosis of susceptible strains includes a structured regimen with isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol, however, antimicrobial resistance is currently a problem for which the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis must be individualized, with a long-term treatment regimen.

Keywords : abscess; granuloma; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; treatment (MeSH).

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