Dr. Abdul Hadi1 , Dr. Subhan Elahi2 * and Dr. Muhammad Hassaan Khalid3
Introduction: Tuberculous meningitis is the Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of the meninges around the brain. It is a very critical disease in terms of fatal outcomes and permanent sequelae, requiring prompt diagnosis and urgent treatment. Despite the great advances in all the fields of medical science, tuberculous meningitis still remains amongst the greatest public health challenges in developing countries like Pakistan. Tuberculosis is among the top 10 causes of death worldwide. Hydrocephalus is one of the most common complications of tuberculous meningitis.
Objective: To determine the frequency of obstructive hydrocephalus in tuberculous meningitis.
Study Setting: The study was carried out at the Medical, Neurology and, Neurosurgery Departments of Children Hospital, Lahore.
Duration of Study: November 30, 2020, to May 30, 2021
Study Design: Cross-Sectional Study
Subjects & Methods: A total of 278 Patients with Tuberculous meningitis fulfilling inclusion criteria were selected for the study. Patients were labeled as having obstructive hydrocephalus as per the report of their MRI brain done by a single consultant radiologist to avoid bias. Tuberculous meningitis and obstructive hydrocephalus were managed as per hospital protocol. Statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) v25.0 software was used to analyze the collected data. Data were stratified for age, gender, and duration of TBM. Post-stratification, a Chisquare test was applied. A p-value ≤0.05 was considered significant.
Result: In this study, 278 patients who had Tuberculous meningitis fulfilling the selection criteria were included. Among these patients, 159(57.2%) were males and 119(42.8%) were females. The mean age of the patients was 6.2±2.3 years with 6 months and 12 years as minimum and maximum ages. Among these patients, 61(21.9%) patients had obstructive hydrocephalus.
Conclusion: Obstructive Hydrocephalus is an important and deadly complication of tuberculous meningitis and even its low presence cannot be ignored. Management and assessment of Obstructive Hydrocephalus in children with Tuberculous meningitis should be carefully monitored.
Keywords: Obstructive Hydrocephalus; Tuberculous Meningitis
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