Primary Sternal Tuberculosis Mimicking an Anterior Chest Wall Tumor: A Case Report

Sternal osteomyelitis resulting from tuberculosis (TB) is a clinical rarity, occurring in only 1–3% of all cases of osteoarticular TB. Diagnosis is difficult and is often delayed due to atypical presentation and a lack of awareness. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be useful in the early stages and in atypical presentations. A 23-year-old female admitted with a 6-month history of chest pain and a mass on middle sternal part of her chest. A computerized tomography (CT) of the thorax and MRI showed a 33x28x42 mm soft tissue mass that was eroding the corpus sternum. Deep biopsy samples from lesions were obtained, and pathology revealed multiple granulomatous and necrotic lesions that were consistent with tuberculous osteomyelitis. The possibility of sternal TB should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of masses involving the chest wall, particularly in endemic areas. Herein, we report a case in which a sternal mass mimicked a chest wall tumor that was finally diagnosed as primary sternal tuberculosis.

Göðüs Duvarý Tümörünü Taklit Eden Primer Sternal Tüberküloz: Olgu Sunumu

Sternum tüberkülozu tüm kemik-eklem tüberküloz olgularýn %1-3 oluþtur ve oldukça nadir görülmektedir. Taný konulmasý, atipik prezantasyon nedeni ile sýklýkla gecikmektedir. Toraks MR, erken dönem ve atipik prezantasyonlarda taný koydurucu olmaktadýr. Yirmi üç yaþýnda kadýn hasta, altý aydýr göðüs aðrýsý ve göðüs duvarýnda þiþlik þikâyeti ile merkezimize baþvurdu. Toraks BT ve MR 'ýnda 33x28x42 mm büyüklüðünde sternum korpusunu eroze eden kitle görüldü. Sternum rezeksiyon biyopsinin histopatolojik incelemesi tüberküloz ile uyumlu bulundu. Ülkemiz gibi tüberkülozun sýk görüldüðü bölgelerde genç yaþ grubunda sternum tüberkülozu göðüs duvarý kitlerinin ayýrýcý tanýsýnda düþünülmelidir. Göðüs duvarý tümörünü taklit eden ve sternal tüberküloz tanýsý koyduðumuz bu olguyu sunduk.