Radiological diagnosis of skeletal tuberculosis

The general X-ray-symptoms follow one another or appear at the same time: Swelling of soft tissues by fungus; toxic perifocal and sometimes parafocal osteoporosis; osteolysis by specific granulation tissues; destruction of adjacent discs and articulation cartilages; formation of sequesters; cold abscess and formation of fistulas because of perforation of the corticalis by liquified tuberculous tissue; bone compression and deformation; amorphous calcifications; perifocal osteosclerosis as a repairing process. The spondylitis tuberculosis is the most frequent form with about 50%; usually narrowing of the discspace is the earliest X-ray-finding. On the second and third place follow the tuberculosis of the hip- and the knee-joint, the rest shows up at other locations of red bone marrow. Very often the perifocal osteoporosis is the earliest X-ray-symptom of joint tuberculosis. All X-ray-findings, even the earliest, in reality are late symptoms, because at that time the disease exists at least some months. Radiologically only the differential diagnosis can be made, final diagnosis is established by histologic examination only. Because the course of untreated skeletal tuberculosis usually is chronic and destructive and, on the other hand early antituberculous chemotherapy as well as surgical treatment show excellent results early radiological suggestion of tuberculosis is of great importance for initiating other diagnostic procedures to establish the diagnosis. (orig./MG)