{"id":"29da416f-5335-469a-9429-76a66d80d627","slug":"management-dilemma-of-tuberculous-paraplegia-in-pregnancy-a-case-report-and-review-of-literature","title":"Management dilemma of tuberculous paraplegia in pregnancy – A case report and review of literature","authors":["Sudhir Srivastava","Aditya Raj","Rishi Agarwal","Sunil Bhosale","Nandan Marathe"],"abstract":"Background: Tuberculosis (TB)/tuberculous spondylodiscitis of the spine causing paraplegia in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy is rare and poses significant management dilemmas. Pregnancy, a relatively immunocompromised state with high hormonal levels, may prompt rapid TB destruction of a vertebral body resulting in an acute/ profound neurological deficit. Here, a pregnant paraplegic mother was diagnosed with spondylodiscitis that warranted immediate decompression/fusion to achieve neurological recovery. Case Description: A 26-year-old female was 23 weeks pregnant when she presented with an acute spastic paraplegia (complete motor, sensory deficit, and sphincter loss). Operative decompression utilized a Versatile Approach along with a “Hartshill rectangle” for fusion and sublaminar wiring. This procedure accomplished simultaneous anterior and posterior fixation with a single approach without the need for intraoperative radiologic imaging. Although the pregnancy was continued with an uneventful perioperative period, intra-uterine fetal demise was documented 1 month postoperatively. Within 18 postoperative months the patient was neurologically intact, and fusion was confirmed on a computed tomography scan. Conclusion: A 23-week pregnant female acutely became paraplegic due to T5 tuberculous spondylitis confirmed on an X-ray (only source of radiation), and magnetic resonance imaging. Following a decompression/ instrumented fusion performed without fluoroscopic guidance, the patient regained full neurological function. However, 1 month postoperatively, the fetus spontaneously aborted.","thumbnailUrl":"https://sni-digital-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/29da416f-5335-469a-9429-76a66d80d627/featured/hero-1781562830103.png","publishDate":"2020-12-29T00:00:00.000Z","doi":"10.25259/SNI_772_2020","categories":["Spine","Case Report"],"fullTextUrl":"https://surgicalneurologyint.com/api/articles/29da416f-5335-469a-9429-76a66d80d627/pdf"}