Kekkaku. 1996 May; 71(5): 357-61.

[A case of posterior tuberculous spondylitis of the lumbar vertebra with the skull inoculated by acupuncture]

Sasaki Y, Yamagishi F, Suzuki K, Saitoh M, Izumizaki M, Koizumi K.

Division of Thoracic Disease, National Chiba-Higashi Hospital, Japan.

A 77-year-old male consulted an orthopedist with complaints of lumbago and a lumbar swelling, and was treated with acupuncture. As the symptoms deteriorated, and smear of a specimen aspirated from the lumbar swelling was positive for acid fast bacilli which were later identified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, he was hospitalized in the National Chiba Higashi Hospital. On admission to our hospital, CT-scan of lumbar vertebrae showed the destructive change of spinous process of the third lumbar vertebra accompanied by the abscess formation, and an occipital swelling with the destructive change of skull was also detected. Whole body examinations with CT-scan and bronchoscopy did not reveal any other abnormal findings suspective of tuberculous lesions. The above lesions were both gradually improved by antituberculous chemotherapy with INH, RFP, and EB. He was finally diagnosed as posterior tuberculous spondylitis of the lumbar vertebra with cold abscess, and also clinically diagnosed as skull tuberculosis caused presumably by the inoculation of tubercle bacilli from the lumbar lesion by acupuncture.