Mediastinal Tuberculosis with Sternal Encroachment - A Rare Presentation of Tuberculosis

Abstract

Introduction Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis constitutes 15-20% of the total tuberculosis (TB) caseload in immunocompetent patients. Affliction of the skeletal system is rare with still rarer presentation of sternal tuberculosis. Sternum is one of the least common bones of the body to get infected (1) Sternal TB is predominantly seen in middle-aged adults although no age is immune and it has also been reported in an infant. It can arise primarily due to a hematogenous route or direct extension from the hilar lymph nodes and/or could be due to lymphatic disseminatio(2) . Sternal tuberculosis has also been reported after BCG vaccination in the pediatric age group (3-5) Here we present an unusual case of tuberculosis of the sternum, which presented with swelling and pain in the chest in a 9 year old boy. Keywords: Sternal tuberculosis, Manubrium sterni, Skeletal Tuberculosis, Pediatric sternal tuberculosis, Mediastinal Koch’s