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CC BY 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2025; 46(03): 332-336
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1772234
Case Report with Review of Literature

Tuberculosis of Frontal Bone—A Rare Entity: Case Report and Review of Literature

Jeba Nazneen
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra
,
Vasundhara Patil
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra
,
Ujjwal Agarwal 
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra
,
Aashna Karbhari 
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra
,
Gauri Bornak
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra
,
Pranjal Rai
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra
,
Abhishek Mahajan 
2   Department of Radiodiagnosis, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Liverpool, United Kingdom
› Author Affiliations Funding None.
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Abstract

Tuberculosis of the frontal bone is a rare entity, most commonly occurring in childhood. In situations of painless scalp swelling coupled with or without a discharging sinus that has not responded to antibiotics, a strong index of suspicion must be raised. Generally, conventional radiography and computed tomography are used for establishing the diagnosis along with microbiological confirmation. We present an interesting case of a young boy who presented with a 2-month-old bone lesion in the frontal scalp, accompanied by mediastinal lymph node involvement. Histopathology revealed tuberculous origin and successful antitubercular therapy resulted in significant improvement within 3 months. The calvarial bones can rarely be affected by tuberculosis, which can present with swelling, sinus discharge, pain, or in rare cases as blindness. Prompt diagnosis of this disease is needed as it is potentially curable and has an excellent prognosis. The cornerstone of treatment is antitubercular therapy, while surgical intervention may sometimes be required. Our case highlights the importance of keeping tuberculosis as a differential at the back of the mind when dealing with scalp swellings, particularly in children.

Keywords

case report - tuberculosis - calvaria - CT - PET-CT

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The authors certify that they have obtained all appropriate patient consent forms. In the form, the patient has given their consent for their images and other clinical information to be reported in the journal. The patient understands that their names and initials will not be published and due efforts will be made to conceal their identity, but anonymity cannot be guaranteed.




Publication History

Article published online:
26 September 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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