Abstract

ABREU SUAREZ, Gladys et al. Mal de Pott en pediatría: presentación de 5 casos y revisión de la literatura. Rev Cubana Pediatr [online]. 2002, vol.74, n.3, pp.247-251. ISSN 0034-7531.

5 of the 6 children affected by Pott’s disease from 1995 to 2001 are presented in this paper for an incidence of 4.5 % of the total of cases of infantile tuberculosis in Cuba. Most of the children were about 2 years old. A predominance of lumbar affection was observed in 4 patients. The clinical picture was insidious and back pain and walking disorders were more frequent. The diagnosis was clinicoradiological and tuberculin was positive in 4 children. Micobacterium tuberculosis was only isolated from a patient with concomitant pulmonary injuries. Paravertebral abscesses (2 in the dorsal region and the other in the psoas) were found in 3 patients. There are still 3 patients under treatment: one of the two that were cured suffers from loss of the physiological lumbar lordosis and the other lost a vertebral body and presents a mild residual hump. It is concluded that though infantile tuberculosis is not a health problem in Cuba and Pott’s disease is not common, it should be taken into account when a child with insidious manifestations of walking disorders and back pain seeks medical assistance.

Keywords : TUBERCULOSIS, SPINAL; DIAGNOSIS, CLINICAL; TOMOGRAPHY [methods]; NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE [methods]; CHILD.

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