Radicular symptoms in tuberculosis. A case report.

A case of tuberculous radiculitis in the lumbosacral region resulting in flaccid paresis of the lower limbs is presented. The primary site of tuberculosis was the intestine. Hematogenic dissemination resulted in organ tuberculosis of the third lumbar vertebra and left kidney. The infection spread locally into the lumbosacral dura and nerve roots. A decline in general immunological resistance lead to fatal dissemination of the disease into the meninges, lungs, liver, left adrenal and right kidney. Differential diagnostic problems, especially the Guillain-Barré syndrome, are discussed.