Tüberküloz ve toraks, cilt.51, sa.4, ss.416-423, 2003 (Scopus)
Skeletal tuberculosis remains a potentially crippling disease in the developing world; particularly as it usually affects children and young adults. The spine is involved approximately 50% of bone and joint tuberculosis cases. The features of four spinal tuberculosis cases were looked over this article. Their ages were between 18 and 76 years. All of them were male and immunocompetent. Pain was the major complaint. There was no life-threatening neurological sign. Among them, a case who was admitted to the hospital with painful torticollis had upper cervical-lower thoracic spinal tuberculosis with psoas abscesses and peritoneal tuberculosis, but no pulmonary involvement. The other cases had thoracolumbal spinal tuberculosis with psoas abscesses and pulmonary tuberculosis of which miliary, chronic and new pulmonary tuberculosis. The whole diagnosis of spinal tuberculosis was made by radiographically-MRI and CT-. Specific antituberculous therapy with supportive care was begun and remarkable responses without surgical intervention were seen on them except miliary pulmonary tuberculosis case. The aim of this presentation was to emphasize the importance of early diagnosis so that adequate pharmacological treatment can be initiated to avoid serious complication.