Tuberculous Tenosynovitis of the Wrist

Abstract

Tuberculosis was first described in 1756 by Acrel in a case report. Subsequent reports of musculoskeletal tuberculosis documented the uncommon occurrence of hand and wrist involvement. The two cases presented here demonstrate the difficulty in eradicating the organism even with modern regimens of chemotherapy. Intraoperative Gram's stain and frozen sections were useful to rule out other etiologies. Firm diagnosis must be established by tissue culture. The first case appeared cured after thorough initial debridement and had no recurrence for 36 years. While recurrences are common in patients treated with debridement alone, most appear within one year after the index procedure. The amount of time that elapsed in this case is unusual and serves as a sobering reminder that tuberculosis may recur at a time distant from the initial procedure. The second patient had tuberculosis diagnosed elsewhere and was treated twice with antituberculous chemotherapy. Although the first course of therapy for six months may have been inadequate, the second course with multiple drugs for 18 months would certainly be considered adequate; yet he had a recurrence in his wrist eight months after completing treatment. These two cases illustrate the fastidious nature of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis organism and the need for a combined treatment protocol of meticulous surgical debridement and combined chemotherapy.