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Progress in Orthopedic Science ISSN: 2146 - 8370
Progress in Orthopedic Science. 2016; 3(1):(19-91)


Epiphyseal tuberculous osteomyelitis in a child: a case report

Ahmet Yilmaz, Bozkurt Gulek, Osman Ciloglu

Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) still rates among the most important infectious diseases in the world,  especially in developing countries. Skeletal TB manifests mainly as spondylitis, arthritis, and less frequently, as osteomyelitis. TB osteomyelitis usually develops in the metaphyses of long bones. It is rare for TB to affect the epiphysis directly, without involving the metaphysis.  Epiphseal lesions due to TB are lytic in formation. A 7-year-old child presented with epiphyseal tuberculous osteomyelitis which had affected the medial condyle of his right femur substantially. He underwent debridement, curettage, and grafting. He also received a 1-year-long antituberculous therapy. Complete cure, with no sequelae, was obtained at the end of the therapy. We conclude that tuberculosis must be in the first-hand list of pathological conditions in the differentail diagnosis of lytic lesions encountered at the knees of children.