Sternoclavicular joint tuberculosis: A series of 9 cases

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic disease that may affect any part of the human body. Though the osteoarticular TB is not uncommonly seen, TB of the sternoclavicular joint (SC joint) is an infrequently reported condition. The very fact that many physicians have never seen a single case of SC joint TB in their entire career makes them never think of this condition in cases of chronic swellings of the medial end of clavicle. We are reporting here our experience with nine cases of SC joint TB that were treated by us. Delay in diagnosis in each of the case was a common feature, and they had been treated in line of inflammation elsewhere. Diagnosis was arrived at by clinical, radiological, and microscopic examinations. Six of the reported cases responded well to antitubercular chemotherapy, and in one of the cases, chemotherapy was combined with debridement, which was actually done during biopsy and primarily for tissue diagnosis; in another two cases, immunomodulation therapy for HIV was given along with antitubercular therapy. Tuberculous etiology should be considered for patients presenting with atypical sites of skeletal inflammation, and a high index of suspicion by the treating physician is necessary to make early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.