Intracranial tuberculoma and the CT scan

Abstract

✓ Computerized tomography (CT) has greatly influenced the diagnosis and management of intracranial tuberculomas and has helped us to formulate guidelines for the management of these lesions. Solid and ringenhancing lesions seen on CT scans are diagnostic of tuberculoma if supported by other clinical and ancillary criteria. Conservative management of intracranial tuberculoma is usually indicated because serial CT scans have shown complete disappearance of these lesions with antituberculous therapy. Only lesions associated with raised intracranial pressure and CT evidence of a mass effect should be considered for surgery. Nonresponse to antituberculous therapy, as judged by serial CT scanning, should raise doubts regarding the diagnosis of a tuberculomatous lesion, and therefore such lesions should be subjected to surgery and histopathological confirmation. Representative clinical cases illustrating the principles of diagnosis and management of intracranial tuberculoma with the help of CT scanning are briefly described and discussed.