A 53-year-old man who was admitted to a Delhi hospital in a semi-comatose state following a brain haemorrhage has recovered and returned to an independent life after a two-and-a-half-year medical ordeal involving nine hospitalisations and six surgeries.
Investigations revealed tuberculosis of the skull bone, an exceptionally uncommon condition rarely seen after brain surgery, according to the hospital. His condition was further complicated by a bleeding disorder, low platelet levels and the use of Ecosprin for a heart condition, making emergency surgery highly risky. Several months later, the patient developed discharge from the surgical wound. Towards the end of the treatment, the patient developed optic neuritis as a complication of anti-tuberculosis medication, resulting in partial loss of vision.
The patient was brought to the emergency department after suddenly losing consciousness due to a spontaneous brain haemorrhage that caused severe swelling inside the brain. Gupta said infection of cranioplasty bone flaps has an overall incidence of around 5-6 per cent, but most such infections are bacterial, while only a few cases of tuberculosis infection of the bone flap have been reported in medical literature.
Doctors at Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, said the patient’s treatment became particularly challenging after he developed tuberculosis of the skull bone, an exceptionally rare complication following brain surgery. The condition was detected early, treatment was modified and rehabilitation was continued under medical supervision, according to the hospital. Dr Sonal Gupta, principal director and HOD, Neuro and Spine Surgery, Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, said the biggest challenge was not only performing emergency brain surgery on a patient at high risk of bleeding but also managing the complications that followed over the next two-and-a-half years.
