CLINICAL RADIOLOGY OF
CEREBRAL TUBERCULOSIS
Dr. Rahi kiran.B
SR Neurology
GMC, KOTA
• Approximately 10% of all patients with Tuberculosis have CNS
involvement.
• Greater prevalence in immunocompromised patients and is
seen in ~ 15-20 % of cases of AIDS-related TB.
• Synchronous Extraneural TB may be present in ~50% cases
and may serve as an important clue to the diagnosis of CNS
TB.
Recommendations regarding Imaging
• All patients should have a CXR as part of the diagnostic
assessment(A,II)
• Every patient with TBM should be imaged with CECT either
before the start of treatment or within the first 48 h of
treatment (A,II)
• All patients with suspected cerebral tuberculoma or spinal
cord TB should be investigated by MRI (A,II)
• Stereotactic brain biopsy should be considered for the
diagnosis of tuberculoma if other investigations fail to
confirm active extra-neural tuberculosis (A,II)
G. Thwaites et al. BRITISH INFECTION SOCIETY GUIDELINES. Journal of Infection (2009) ;59:167-187
Classification of CNS TB
 Intracranial
 Tuberculous meningitis
 Tuberculous encephalopathy
 Tuberculous vasculopathy
 SOLs like tuberculoma,tuberculous abscess
 Spinal
 Pott’s spine and Pott’s paraplegia
 Tuberculous arachnoiditis
 Non-Osseous spinal tuberculoma
 Spinal meningitis
TUBERCULAR MENINGITIS (TBM)
• Diagnostic triad of tubercular meningitis:-
– Presence of basal exudates
– Infarcts and
– Hydrocephalus.
• It is considered almost 100% specific but has lower sensitivity,
Tuberculous meningitis
Axial T1C - florid meningeal enhancement,most
pronounced within the basal cisterns
•Most common manifestation of CNS TB in all age groups.
•Meningeal enhancement has been found in up to 90% of cases and is considered to
be the most sensitive feature of tubercular meningitis.
CECT - acute hydrocephalus and
meningeal enhancement.
No obvious abnormality in the T1- and T2-weighted images.
Miliary CNS tuberculosis
T1C + image shows numerous
bilateral tiny enhancing nodules
scattered throughout the brain
parenchyma.
• Ischemic infarcts - in 20-40%
cases, mostly within basal
ganglia and internal capsule
regions, resulting from vascular
compression and occlusion of
small perforating vessels,
particularly Lenticulostriate and
Thalamoperforating arteries.
(Necrotizing Arteritis).
Plain CT Brain- infarcts in right
BG and internal capsule
•Cranial nerve involvement is seen
in 17-40% cases, most commonly
affecting II,III,IV and VII th cranial
nerves.
TBM with CVT
Postcontrast T1 C+ image
demonstrates a filing defect within
dilated left sigmoid sinus
45-year-old male who presented with headache and cerebrospinal
fluid PCR positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
MRV - non-visualization of Left
transverse and sigmoid sinuses
Tuberculoma
• On NCCT -iso, hyper or of mixed density.
• On CECT - ring enhancing or irregular
nonhomogeneous enhancement.
• Target sign -central calcification with
surrounding ring enhancement.
calcified lesion in the left periventricular
region, with associated hydrocephalus.
Non-caseating granuloma: iso-/hypo on
T1, hyper on T2, T1 C+ Homogeneous
Granuloma with liquid
centre: iso/hypo on T1, hyper
on T2 with a peripheral hypo
rim, DWI–may show
restriction
Caseating Solid centre: hypo
on T1 , strikingly hypo on T2,
DWI – no restriction
multiple enhancing Caseating and Non-
Caseating tuberculomas,
Tuberculoma
Imaging
TBM
• Depends on stage of disease :
I (normal in 30%), II (Normal in
10%), III (Abnormal in all)
• Hydrocephalus (70-85%), basal
meningeal enhancement (40%),
infarction (15-30%), tuberculoma
(5-10%)
• Precontrast hyperdensity in basal
cisterns is the most specific
radiological sign
• also help in prognostication
TUBERCULOMA
• Lesion may be solitary,
multiple, or Miliary.
• Most common- within the
frontal and parietal lobes,
Infratentorial - children.
• usually - CMJ and
periventricular region
T2-weighted MRI of a biopsy-proven, Right parietal tuberculoma.
Note the low–signal-intensity rim of the lesion and the
surrounding hyperintense vasogenic edema.
T2-W axial MR image shows
hypointense lesions in the bilateral
gangliothalamic regions (R>L), with
perilesional oedema and associated
hydrocephalus
Post-contrastT1 W axial image shows
multiple ring-enhancing lesions, along
with abnormal leptomeningeal
enhancement
Caseating tuberculoma without liquefaction
T2-W axial MR image shows a
centrally hyperintense granuloma
with a peripheral hypointense rim
with associated perilesional
oedema
Gadolinium-enhanced T1-W axial
image shows peripheral ring
enhancement of the same lesion.
Caseating tuberculoma with liquefaction
Multiple supra- and infratentorial tuberculomas in a 27-year-old
female with history of Pulmonary tuberculosis.
Tuberculomas are seen as multiple small ring enhancing lesions
without peripheral edema in Axial and Sagittal
postcontrast T1-weighted MR images
Tubercular Abscess
4% to 7.5% of patients with CNS TB
solitary and larger (> 3 cm in diameter), and
progress much more rapidly than
tuberculomas.
CT - hypodense with edema and mass effect
T2- granuloma with a liquid centre
T1C+  ring enhancement that is usually
thin and uniform
Tuberculous Encephalopathy
• exclusively present in infants and children
• convulsions, stupor and coma without
signs of meningeal irritation or FND
• CSF – grossly normal
• Axial T2-W MR images show diffused
white matter hyperintensity with oedema
and Hydrocephalus.
• responsive to steroids
TUBERCULOUS CEREBRITIS
• CT imaging shows intense focal
gyral enhancement
• On MR imaging, focal cerebritis
appears hypointense on T1,
hyperintense on T2 and small
areas of patchy enhancement on
post-contrast scan.
CECT- focal gyral enhancement in
left sylvian fissure, with
surrounding cerebral oedema
EPIDURAL TB
• Iso on T1W,mixed on T2W images.
• In post-contrast images, peripheral enhancement is seen if
true epidural abscess formation or caseation has developed .
• Epidural Tuberculous abscess may occur as primary lesions or
may be seen in association with an underlying tuberculous
focus.
Tuberculous abscess with epidural and subdural empyema and
calvarial osteomyelitis
Coronal and sagittal postcontrast T1-Wt MRI images demonstrate epidural
and subdural collections over the bifrontal cerebral convexities with
intraparenchymal and calvarial extension. Peripheral edema, irregular marked
enhancement of the lesion as well as dural enhancement are evident.
The bony destructive lytic lesions are seen in the bone window CT image
Spinal TB-Radiographic manifestations
• Intraosseous and paraspinal abscess formation.
• subligamentous spread of infection.
• vertebral body destruction and collapse resulting in
significant instability and deformity of the spine.
• extension into the spinal epidural space.
Focal areas of erosion and osseous
destruction in the anterior corners of
the vertebral body are typical plain
film findings.
Contiguous vertebral body
involvement,
Destruction of IVD
Compression fracture and secondary
osteosclerosis
Plain radiograph
CT findings
Vertebral body collapse,Disk space
narrowing,Large paraspinal soft
tissue masses representing abcess
formation
Cloaca formation may be visualised
resulting from spontaneous
decomprssion of the vertebral body
abcess
In chronic stages there is
marked bone destruction with
sequestrum formation
MR findings
T1 -decreased signal within the
affected vertebral bodies, loss of
disk height and paraspinal soft
tissue masses
T2 -non specific increased signal
intensity within areas of osseous
and soft tissue changes, Extent
of paraspinal abcess formation
anteriorly is better visualised.
Contrast enhanced
sequences are helpful in
distinguishing tuberculous
lesions from other
granulomatous diseases.
The presence of thick rim
of enhancement around
the paraspinal and
intraosseous abcesses is
found to be diagnostic of
spinal tuberculosis.
Neurocysticercosis
multiple nodular calcified lesions
Hypo foci in the calcified stage, minimal
residual edema in the Granular stage
GRE - multiple "blooming black dots“
characteristic of nodular calcified NCC.
enhancement of healing granular nodular
NCC cysts, "Shaggy” enhancement with
adjacent edema-colloidal vesicular stage.
Solitary colloidal vesicular cyst with FLAIR hyperintense scolex with perilesional edema
and "shaggy” enhancement
Echinococcosis
• CT –mc - large, unilocular,
thin-walled cyst without
calcification, edema, or
enhancement
• Occasionally, a single large cyst
with multiple "daughter cysts"
Echinococcosis
• MR shows that cyst fluid
is iso with CSF on T1WI
and T2WI
• detached germinal
membrane and hydatid
"sand" can be seen in
the dependent portion
of the cyst
• numerous irregular cysts that—unlike
HC—are not sharply demarcated from
surrounding brain, enhance following
contrast
• Irregular peripheral or ring-like,
heterogeneous, nodular, and
cauliflower-like patterns have been
reported
Echinococcosis alveolaris
Cerebral malaria
• NECT - normal or focal infarcts
in the cortex, basal ganglia, and
thalami.
• MR T2/FLAIR shows focal
hyperintensities, multifocal
"blooming" petechial
hemorrhages, do not enhance
on T1 C+
• Differential diagnosis of Multifocal white
matter petechial hemorrhages:
• fat emboli syndrome,
• acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis,
• diffuse vascular injury
• Thrombotic microangiopathies such as disseminated
intravascular coagulopathy.
Cerebral malaria
TBM and tuberculoma with hydrocephalus
enhancing exudate
throughout
the basal cisterns
and subarachnoid
spaces
T2WI – multifocal
tuberculomas as
hypointense foci
surrounded by
edema
T1 C+- additional
lesions with
punctate ring
enhancement
• NCC- Vesicular vs Colloidal stageVesicular (cyst + scolex, no edema)
Colloidal stage with a scolex With striking surrounding edema.
Tuberculoma
T1W – mixed intensity
mass in the corpus
callosum and
left parietooccipital lobe.
Axial T2WI - several areas
Of hypointensity
T1 C+ multiple
conglomerate
foci of ring and solid
﬇enhancement
21y postpartum woman
with seizures
NCC in fourth ventricle with hydrocephalus
obstructive hydrocephalus with
enlargement of the lateral, third, and
fourth With solitary NCC cyst in the
bottom of the 4th ventricle.
Axial FLAIR – cyst wall, scolex and
interstitial fluid around the obstructed
4th ventricle.
A 26y woman with headaches
Racemose NCC
numerous variable-sized
cysts fill the basal cisterns
with hydrocephalus, with
mild/moderate rim
enhancement around the
"bunch of grapes" cysts
Tuberculous spondylodiscitis (Pott disease)
T12/L1 spondylodiscitis
- with avid contrast
enhancemen involving
the T11-L2 vertebral
bodies, T12/L1 disk
space and the adjacent
paravertebral
collections.
Neurocysticercosis.
Lesions of various stages.
THANK YOU

Imaging cns tb

  • 1.
    CLINICAL RADIOLOGY OF CEREBRALTUBERCULOSIS Dr. Rahi kiran.B SR Neurology GMC, KOTA
  • 2.
    • Approximately 10%of all patients with Tuberculosis have CNS involvement. • Greater prevalence in immunocompromised patients and is seen in ~ 15-20 % of cases of AIDS-related TB. • Synchronous Extraneural TB may be present in ~50% cases and may serve as an important clue to the diagnosis of CNS TB.
  • 3.
    Recommendations regarding Imaging •All patients should have a CXR as part of the diagnostic assessment(A,II) • Every patient with TBM should be imaged with CECT either before the start of treatment or within the first 48 h of treatment (A,II) • All patients with suspected cerebral tuberculoma or spinal cord TB should be investigated by MRI (A,II) • Stereotactic brain biopsy should be considered for the diagnosis of tuberculoma if other investigations fail to confirm active extra-neural tuberculosis (A,II) G. Thwaites et al. BRITISH INFECTION SOCIETY GUIDELINES. Journal of Infection (2009) ;59:167-187
  • 4.
    Classification of CNSTB  Intracranial  Tuberculous meningitis  Tuberculous encephalopathy  Tuberculous vasculopathy  SOLs like tuberculoma,tuberculous abscess  Spinal  Pott’s spine and Pott’s paraplegia  Tuberculous arachnoiditis  Non-Osseous spinal tuberculoma  Spinal meningitis
  • 5.
    TUBERCULAR MENINGITIS (TBM) •Diagnostic triad of tubercular meningitis:- – Presence of basal exudates – Infarcts and – Hydrocephalus. • It is considered almost 100% specific but has lower sensitivity,
  • 6.
    Tuberculous meningitis Axial T1C- florid meningeal enhancement,most pronounced within the basal cisterns •Most common manifestation of CNS TB in all age groups. •Meningeal enhancement has been found in up to 90% of cases and is considered to be the most sensitive feature of tubercular meningitis. CECT - acute hydrocephalus and meningeal enhancement.
  • 7.
    No obvious abnormalityin the T1- and T2-weighted images. Miliary CNS tuberculosis T1C + image shows numerous bilateral tiny enhancing nodules scattered throughout the brain parenchyma.
  • 8.
    • Ischemic infarcts- in 20-40% cases, mostly within basal ganglia and internal capsule regions, resulting from vascular compression and occlusion of small perforating vessels, particularly Lenticulostriate and Thalamoperforating arteries. (Necrotizing Arteritis). Plain CT Brain- infarcts in right BG and internal capsule •Cranial nerve involvement is seen in 17-40% cases, most commonly affecting II,III,IV and VII th cranial nerves.
  • 9.
    TBM with CVT PostcontrastT1 C+ image demonstrates a filing defect within dilated left sigmoid sinus 45-year-old male who presented with headache and cerebrospinal fluid PCR positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. MRV - non-visualization of Left transverse and sigmoid sinuses
  • 10.
    Tuberculoma • On NCCT-iso, hyper or of mixed density. • On CECT - ring enhancing or irregular nonhomogeneous enhancement. • Target sign -central calcification with surrounding ring enhancement. calcified lesion in the left periventricular region, with associated hydrocephalus.
  • 11.
    Non-caseating granuloma: iso-/hypoon T1, hyper on T2, T1 C+ Homogeneous Granuloma with liquid centre: iso/hypo on T1, hyper on T2 with a peripheral hypo rim, DWI–may show restriction Caseating Solid centre: hypo on T1 , strikingly hypo on T2, DWI – no restriction multiple enhancing Caseating and Non- Caseating tuberculomas, Tuberculoma
  • 12.
    Imaging TBM • Depends onstage of disease : I (normal in 30%), II (Normal in 10%), III (Abnormal in all) • Hydrocephalus (70-85%), basal meningeal enhancement (40%), infarction (15-30%), tuberculoma (5-10%) • Precontrast hyperdensity in basal cisterns is the most specific radiological sign • also help in prognostication TUBERCULOMA • Lesion may be solitary, multiple, or Miliary. • Most common- within the frontal and parietal lobes, Infratentorial - children. • usually - CMJ and periventricular region
  • 13.
    T2-weighted MRI ofa biopsy-proven, Right parietal tuberculoma. Note the low–signal-intensity rim of the lesion and the surrounding hyperintense vasogenic edema.
  • 14.
    T2-W axial MRimage shows hypointense lesions in the bilateral gangliothalamic regions (R>L), with perilesional oedema and associated hydrocephalus Post-contrastT1 W axial image shows multiple ring-enhancing lesions, along with abnormal leptomeningeal enhancement Caseating tuberculoma without liquefaction
  • 15.
    T2-W axial MRimage shows a centrally hyperintense granuloma with a peripheral hypointense rim with associated perilesional oedema Gadolinium-enhanced T1-W axial image shows peripheral ring enhancement of the same lesion. Caseating tuberculoma with liquefaction
  • 16.
    Multiple supra- andinfratentorial tuberculomas in a 27-year-old female with history of Pulmonary tuberculosis. Tuberculomas are seen as multiple small ring enhancing lesions without peripheral edema in Axial and Sagittal postcontrast T1-weighted MR images
  • 17.
    Tubercular Abscess 4% to7.5% of patients with CNS TB solitary and larger (> 3 cm in diameter), and progress much more rapidly than tuberculomas. CT - hypodense with edema and mass effect T2- granuloma with a liquid centre T1C+  ring enhancement that is usually thin and uniform
  • 18.
    Tuberculous Encephalopathy • exclusivelypresent in infants and children • convulsions, stupor and coma without signs of meningeal irritation or FND • CSF – grossly normal • Axial T2-W MR images show diffused white matter hyperintensity with oedema and Hydrocephalus. • responsive to steroids
  • 19.
    TUBERCULOUS CEREBRITIS • CTimaging shows intense focal gyral enhancement • On MR imaging, focal cerebritis appears hypointense on T1, hyperintense on T2 and small areas of patchy enhancement on post-contrast scan. CECT- focal gyral enhancement in left sylvian fissure, with surrounding cerebral oedema
  • 20.
    EPIDURAL TB • Isoon T1W,mixed on T2W images. • In post-contrast images, peripheral enhancement is seen if true epidural abscess formation or caseation has developed . • Epidural Tuberculous abscess may occur as primary lesions or may be seen in association with an underlying tuberculous focus.
  • 21.
    Tuberculous abscess withepidural and subdural empyema and calvarial osteomyelitis Coronal and sagittal postcontrast T1-Wt MRI images demonstrate epidural and subdural collections over the bifrontal cerebral convexities with intraparenchymal and calvarial extension. Peripheral edema, irregular marked enhancement of the lesion as well as dural enhancement are evident. The bony destructive lytic lesions are seen in the bone window CT image
  • 22.
    Spinal TB-Radiographic manifestations •Intraosseous and paraspinal abscess formation. • subligamentous spread of infection. • vertebral body destruction and collapse resulting in significant instability and deformity of the spine. • extension into the spinal epidural space.
  • 23.
    Focal areas oferosion and osseous destruction in the anterior corners of the vertebral body are typical plain film findings. Contiguous vertebral body involvement, Destruction of IVD Compression fracture and secondary osteosclerosis Plain radiograph
  • 24.
    CT findings Vertebral bodycollapse,Disk space narrowing,Large paraspinal soft tissue masses representing abcess formation Cloaca formation may be visualised resulting from spontaneous decomprssion of the vertebral body abcess In chronic stages there is marked bone destruction with sequestrum formation
  • 25.
    MR findings T1 -decreasedsignal within the affected vertebral bodies, loss of disk height and paraspinal soft tissue masses T2 -non specific increased signal intensity within areas of osseous and soft tissue changes, Extent of paraspinal abcess formation anteriorly is better visualised. Contrast enhanced sequences are helpful in distinguishing tuberculous lesions from other granulomatous diseases. The presence of thick rim of enhancement around the paraspinal and intraosseous abcesses is found to be diagnostic of spinal tuberculosis.
  • 26.
  • 27.
    multiple nodular calcifiedlesions Hypo foci in the calcified stage, minimal residual edema in the Granular stage GRE - multiple "blooming black dots“ characteristic of nodular calcified NCC. enhancement of healing granular nodular NCC cysts, "Shaggy” enhancement with adjacent edema-colloidal vesicular stage. Solitary colloidal vesicular cyst with FLAIR hyperintense scolex with perilesional edema and "shaggy” enhancement
  • 28.
    Echinococcosis • CT –mc- large, unilocular, thin-walled cyst without calcification, edema, or enhancement • Occasionally, a single large cyst with multiple "daughter cysts"
  • 29.
    Echinococcosis • MR showsthat cyst fluid is iso with CSF on T1WI and T2WI • detached germinal membrane and hydatid "sand" can be seen in the dependent portion of the cyst
  • 30.
    • numerous irregularcysts that—unlike HC—are not sharply demarcated from surrounding brain, enhance following contrast • Irregular peripheral or ring-like, heterogeneous, nodular, and cauliflower-like patterns have been reported Echinococcosis alveolaris
  • 31.
    Cerebral malaria • NECT- normal or focal infarcts in the cortex, basal ganglia, and thalami. • MR T2/FLAIR shows focal hyperintensities, multifocal "blooming" petechial hemorrhages, do not enhance on T1 C+
  • 32.
    • Differential diagnosisof Multifocal white matter petechial hemorrhages: • fat emboli syndrome, • acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis, • diffuse vascular injury • Thrombotic microangiopathies such as disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. Cerebral malaria
  • 33.
    TBM and tuberculomawith hydrocephalus enhancing exudate throughout the basal cisterns and subarachnoid spaces T2WI – multifocal tuberculomas as hypointense foci surrounded by edema T1 C+- additional lesions with punctate ring enhancement
  • 34.
    • NCC- Vesicularvs Colloidal stageVesicular (cyst + scolex, no edema) Colloidal stage with a scolex With striking surrounding edema.
  • 35.
    Tuberculoma T1W – mixedintensity mass in the corpus callosum and left parietooccipital lobe. Axial T2WI - several areas Of hypointensity T1 C+ multiple conglomerate foci of ring and solid ﬇enhancement 21y postpartum woman with seizures
  • 36.
    NCC in fourthventricle with hydrocephalus obstructive hydrocephalus with enlargement of the lateral, third, and fourth With solitary NCC cyst in the bottom of the 4th ventricle. Axial FLAIR – cyst wall, scolex and interstitial fluid around the obstructed 4th ventricle. A 26y woman with headaches
  • 37.
    Racemose NCC numerous variable-sized cystsfill the basal cisterns with hydrocephalus, with mild/moderate rim enhancement around the "bunch of grapes" cysts
  • 38.
    Tuberculous spondylodiscitis (Pottdisease) T12/L1 spondylodiscitis - with avid contrast enhancemen involving the T11-L2 vertebral bodies, T12/L1 disk space and the adjacent paravertebral collections.
  • 39.
  • 40.