Extra spinal osteoarticular tuberculosis: a case series of 66 patients from a tertiary care hospital in Karachi

The demographic, clinical and laboratory data of patients diagnosed as extra-spinal osteoarticular tuberculosis, presenting at department of orthopaedic surgery, abbasi shaheed hospital, karachi medical and dental college, karachi, between december 2006 and january 2009 were analysed. there were 66 patients registered for the study. forty four (66.66%) patients were females. the mean age was 26.5±13.5 years. swelling and pain were the commonest symptoms. knee and hip were the most frequent sites involved. the mean time to diagnosis was 12.32±18 months (range =2- 96 months). six (09.09%) patients had history of previous pulmonary kochs. nine (13.63%) had concurrent pulmonary and 1(01.51%) had concurrent intestinal kochs. the average first hour esr was 48mm/h (16-102). manteoux test was positive in 26/42 patients. acid fast bacilli (afb) stain was positive in 1/25 while culture was positive in 7/ 25 specimens. there was 1(14.28%) case of mdr tuberculosis. most of the patients (95.45%), were diagnosed on positive histopathology report of involved tissues showing chronic granulomatous reaction with caseous necrosis.