Minimally Invasive Surgical Approach to Decompress a Multi-Loculated Abscess in the Thoracic Spine: A Case Report

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the major global causes of death; Mycobacterium Tuberculosis causes it. Approximately 10% of patients with TB may develop extrapulmonary bone tuberculosis, with the spine being the most affected, representing 1 to 2% of all TB cases. Pott disease is a form of extrapulmonary TB, and recently it has shown a significant resurgence in developed nations possibly impacted by global migration. Pott disease is often misdiagnosed or sometimes diagnosed during its late stages, which can be associated with devastating consequences to the patient. Brazil is among the top 20 countries with a high burden of tuberculosis; however, the published evidence is still limited, particularly during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under this context, we present a clinical case of a 43 years old female patient with Pott disease with a minimally invasive surgical approach to decompress a multi-loculated abscess in the thoracic spine.