Fracture of a Dorsal Vertebral Body as the First Manifestation of Pott's Disease: Presentation of Clinical Case

Introduction: Infection with tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) has become a disease with high incidence and prevalence, due to its dissemination pathway and its pathophysiological mechanisms, which make it an entity with variable clinical presentation. One of these presentations is tuberculous osteomyelitis or PottDisease. This syndrome occurs when, by hematogenous dissemination, the mycobacterium spreads to the spinal column, most commonly in the dorsal region, causing pain, paresis, abscesses, and deformity and, in advanced cases, paraplegia due to neurological damage secondary to the infection. Clinical case: In January 2018 of a male patient of 34 years old, resident of the San Quintin community, Baja California , Mexico with type 2 diabetes mellitus, Obesity grade III, and hepatic failure as comorbidities, who debuted with loss of mobility of lower extremities, an open magnetic resonance of the thoracolumbar spine was performed, finding T5 body collapse plus medullary infectious process, with subsequent diagnosis bytransquirurgical biopsy of Pott Disease , treated in the ISSSTECALI clinic, Ensenada,Baja California , Mexico during a hospitalization period of 31 days. Conclusion: Tuberculosis has an insidious evolution, especially when it is one of its extrapulmonary forms. Pott's disease is one of its many manifestations, which is important to detect in the early stages to prevent complications that compromise the patient's functionality. The treatment must be individualized according to the comorbidities of each patient.