Case of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Caused by Tuberculous Aneurysm.

BACKGROUND

Subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by rupture of tuberculosis associated aneurysm is a rare complication. In this paper, we report a case of intracranial tuberculum with adjacent intracerebral inflammatory aneurysm which caused subarachnoid hemorrhage and brain abscess formation.

CASE DESCRIPTION: A 28-year-old man presented with sudden onset of severe headache. He was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis 8 years ago, and had been treated with antituberculosis medications for 6 months. Head computed tomography showed a small hematoma in the left sylvian fissure with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Cerebral digital subtraction angiography was performed and no aneurysm was found. He was discharged after nonsurgical treatment. Three weeks later, he came back to our department with complaint of aphasia. Magnetic resonance images showed a cystic lesion with mass effect. During operation, we encounter the brain abscess and were surprised to find a middle cerebral artery aneurysm while dissecting. The abscess was totally removed, and the aneurysm was secured by clipping. The aneurysm was suspected of being inflammatory in nature and associated with the patient's tuberculosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Tuberculosis in the central nervous system may present as tuberculoma and tuberculous meningitis. Vasculitis secondary to tuberculous meningitis can cause infarcts, and, rarely, aneurysm formation. This case report illustrated a rare case of intracranial infectious aneurysm related to tuberculosis and complicated by hemorrhage and brain abscess.