An intracerebral mass: tuberculosis or sarcoidosis?

Abstract

Sarcoidosis is an idiopathic, chronic granulomatous disease and it can affect almost any organ. In autopsy series, it has been reported that the central nervous system involvement has occurred in 5–16% of the patients with sarcoidosis, while the neurological symptoms have occurred only in 3–9% of them. A 40-year-old female patient was admitted to the hospital with complaints of aphasia, balance disorder and drowsiness. An intracerebral mass was detected on cranial CT scans and neurosarcoidosis was diagnosed with clinical, radiological and histopathological findings.

Coexistence of tuberculosis and sarcoidosis: a description of two cases

“…Varying in size, granulomatous nodules are usually distributed along the airway. There is also a pronounced increase in lymphocyte infiltration around the nodules, indicating infectious lesion characteristics ( 17 ). Hence, for diagnosing the pathological manifestations of granulomatous lesions, it is crucial to initially investigate potential sources of pathogenic infection.…”

Neuro-meningeal tuberculosis: A diagnostic challenge in systemic sarcoidosis

“…Intracranial mass may easily be mistaken for a neurosarcoidosis, particularly if evidence of systemic sarcoidosis is present, that is why lumbar puncture and cerebral biopsy are necessary when the diagnosis is in doubt [3]. Culture of the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) is essential but chemical and cytological examinations are not necessarily of much help in distinguishing tuberculosis from sarcoidosis meningitis.…”

Granulomas del encéfalo. A propósito de un caso

“…En pacientes con Tabla 1. 20,25 . En la neurosarcoidosis existe una predilección por las leptomeninges de la base craneal y es típica la presentación con disfunción troncular del VII nervio craneano, aunque también pueden ocurrir lesiones de otros nervios craneanos, parenquimatosas, del tallo pituitario e hidrocefalia 11 .…”