Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37810325›Full record

ArticleSurgical neurology international2023

Focal dystonia and ataxic hemiparesis as the initial presentation of a thalamic tuberculoma: A diagnostic challenge in an immunocompetent pediatric patient.

Fauzia Sajjad, Maryam Farhan Baloch, Mohammad Ashraf, Conor S Gillespie, Hira Umar, Ammara Zafar, Javaria Zulfiqar, Imdad Ullah, Sundus Ali, Naveed Ashraf

Open access · hybridAbstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Surgical neurology international, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact, top 72% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 0 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.

Fauzia SajjadDepartment of Neurosurgery, Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Maryam Farhan BalochSchool of Medicine, Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan.
Mohammad AshrafWolfson School of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Conor S GillespieDepartment of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Hira UmarDepartment of Neurosurgery, Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Ammara ZafarDepartment of Neurosurgery, Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Javaria ZulfiqarDepartment of Neurosurgery, Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Imdad UllahDepartment of Neurosurgery, Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Sundus AliDepartment of Neurosurgery, King Edward Medical University, Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan.
Naveed AshrafUniversity of Health Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Services Institute of Medical Sciences · PKAllama Iqbal Medical College · PKKing Edward Medical University · PKUniversity of Cambridge · GBUniversity of Glasgow · GBUniversity of Health Sciences Lahore · PK

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Central nervous system (CNS) tuberculomas are rare and account for approximately 1% of all tuberculosis (TB) cases. These intracranial lesions are more commonly observed in immunocompromised individuals, often as part of disseminated miliary TB or after latent infection reactivation. This case report presents the occurrence of a thalamic tuberculoma in an immunocompetent girl. Case Description: An 11-year-old girl presented with a 3-month history of progressive right-sided ataxic hemiparesis, hand dystonia/thalamic hand, and headache. There was only a mildly elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (25 mm/h.), and her remaining biochemistry and vitals were unremarkable. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain revealed an ill-defined intra-axial heterogeneous lobulated lesion with crenated margins involving the thalamus and the posterior limb of the internal capsule with significant vasogenic edema. Given the clinical picture, the working diagnosis was a high-grade brain tumor. Due to the absence of a viable operative corridor for a meaningful resection and the diagnostic uncertainty, a stereotactic biopsy was performed, and histopathological analysis confirmed the presence of granulomas consistent with TB. A human immunodeficiency virus test (negative) and interferon-gamma release assay (positive) were then obtained. The patient was commenced on a regimen of anti-TB drugs with a tapering steroid dose. At 8 months, her most recent MRI showed a significant reduction in the size of her tuberculoma, and there is a complete resolution of her hand dystonia and hemiparesis to allow for independence in her activities of daily living. Conclusion: This report emphasizes the importance of considering causes other than degenerative, vascular, or neoplasms in patients with hemiparesis with dystonia. CNS tuberculomas can present as such without prior history or specific clinical symptoms of TB, making them a diagnostic challenge. In cases with such uncertainty regarding the nature of an intracranial lesion and the role of resection, a stereotactic biopsy is invaluable.

Indexed as

Ataxic hemiparesisImmune competentIntracranial tuberculomaLacunary syndromeThalamic handThalamus

Identifiers

PMID37810325
PMCPMC10559370
OpenAlexW4387184538

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.