Tuberculosis infection of the talonavicular joint

Role of arthroscopy and endoscopy in management of tuberculosis of the foot and ankle

Tuberculosis of the foot and ankle is rare but destructive. It can affect bones, joints and soft tissue and can mimic a wide range of acute and chronic infections or tumorous conditions. The primary treatment objectives for osteoarticular TB include curing the infection, limiting deformity, maintaining mobility, and reducing discomfort. Chemotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment in acute stage. Indications of surgery include biopsy and debridement in early stages to reduce the tuberculosis load and enable better penetration of anti-tuberculous drugs. Other reported indications for surgery in early stage of TB foot and ankle include resection of lesion not responding to chemotherapy and debridement of lesions close to the articular surface, as surgical debridement might halt progression and joint invasion, avoiding worsening of the prognosis. The success of arthroscopic treatment for infectious arthritis with decreased morbidity and postoperative pain makes arthroscopy an excellent alternative to open surgery. The advantages such as minor trauma, short hospitalization time and short post operative rehabilitation period as well as good cosmetic and therapeutic results should lead to a more frequent use of arthroscopy as early as possible as an adjuvant for the tuberculous joint. However, tuberculosis can involve any joints, bone and soft tissue (tendon) of the foot and ankle and surgeons should equip with various arthroscopic and endoscopic techniques in order to deal with the various situations of tuberculosis of the foot and ankle.

Ultrasound-Guided Talonavicular Arthrocentesis

BACKGROUND

Joint arthrocentesis is a commonly performed procedure by the emergency physician (EP). Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) has demonstrated promise in identifying joint effusions and guiding arthrocentesis procedures. EP-performed talonavicular joint arthrocentesis has not been previously described in the literature. We present a case in which an isolated talonavicular joint effusion was identified and then subsequently aspirated using POCUS.

CASE REPORT

A 65-year-old man presented with atraumatic right ankle pain. On arrival, he was noted to have diffuse warmth and edema around the ankle and midfoot. POCUS was performed to evaluate for an ankle joint effusion, which was not present. The ultrasound was then moved distally, where a talonavicular joint effusion was noted. Inflammatory markers were found to be elevated. A magnetic resonance imaging scan revealed an isolated talonavicular joint effusion without additional acute findings. POCUS was then used to perform an arthrocentesis, which revealed monosodium urate crystals consistent with an initial episode of gouty arthritis. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: POCUS provides the EP with an efficient tool to diagnose joint effusions and guide arthrocentesis procedures. The foot is composed of several small joints where ultrasound can be particularly helpful. Similar to the ankle joint, these joints can be afflicted with pyogenic infections and crystalline arthropathies. To our knowledge, we present the first report of EP-performed talonavicular arthrocentesis guided by POCUS. The approach to this joint and technique for arthrocentesis are presented.

Role of Surgery in Management of Osteo-Articular Tuberculosis of the Foot and Ankle

Background:

Tuberculosis of the foot and ankle still remains to be a significant problem, especially in the developing countries, and with an increase in incidence in immunosuppressed patients. Treatment is mainly medical using multidrug chemotherapy; surgical interventions range from biopsy, synovectomy and debridement, to joint preserving procedures like distraction in early cases, and arthrodesis of hindfoot joints and the ankle in advanced disease with joint destruction.

Surgical Options: All procedures should be done after initiating appropriate medical management. The ankle is the commonest joint needing intervention, followed by the subtalar and talo-navicular joint. Forefoot TB limited to the bone rarely needs surgical intervention except when the infective focus is threatening to invade a joint. Articular disease can spread rapidly, so early diagnosis and treatment can influence the outcome. Surgical interventions may need to be modified in the presence of sinuses and active disease; fusions need compression, and implants have to be chosen wisely. External fixators are the commonest devices used for compression in active disease, but intramedullary nails better stabilize pantalar arthrodesis. Arthroscopy has become a valuable tool for visualizing the ankle and hindfoot joints, and is an excellent adjunct for arthrodesis by minimally invasive methods.

Conclusion:

Although Osteoarticular Tb involving the foot and ankle is largely managed with chemotherapy, specific indications for surgical intervention exist. Timely done procedures could limit joint destruction, or prevent spread to adjacent joints. Fusions are the commonest procedure for sequelae of disease or for correcting residual deformity.

Miliary tuberculosis and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome - 'a cursed duet'

Tuberculous osteomyelitis is rare and usually involves the vertebrae but is seldom found in the foot. The uncommon site and ability to mimic other disorders clinically and radiographically leads to diagnostic and therapeutic delays. We report a case of a 40-year-old man who initially presented to his podiatrist with intermittent pain and swelling of his right ankle and foot that lasted for a year. He also started to exhibit significant weight loss and unexplained fevers and was subsequently hospitalized for cellulitis of his right foot. On further workup, patient was found to have miliary tuberculosis (TB) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Patient was treated with anti-TB therapy for 9 months and highly active anti-retroviral therapy. Our patient presented with ongoing chronic right foot and ankle pain that was proven to be secondary to TB osteomyelitis of cuneiform bones of the right ankle in the setting of AIDS. The patient's clinical presentation was unusual due to symptom duration and lack of systemic characteristics. Like our case, reported incidence of osteomyelitis of bone/joint in extrapulmonary TB is estimated to be 10%, and out of all bones/joint TB cases, only 1% are found to be in the foot.

Tuberculosis around the tarsal navicular: A rare entity

Osteoarticular TB around the tarsal navicular is a chronic, uncommon condition affecting the midfoot, which causes significant morbidity to the patient. Tuberculosis around the tarsal navicular is rarely described in the literature. A series of three cases - two involving the talo-navicular joint and one involving the naviculo-cuneiform joint is described. Biopsy was used in all the cases for achieving diagnosis. All patients had good to fair outcome following medical management with anti-tubercular therapy. Due to the pauci-bacillary nature of the disease, a positive culture of the disease is not always possible. The diagnosis depends on a positive histopathology finding. Once an early diagnosis is achieved, antitubercular therapy is usually the mainstay. Clinical awareness of the rare presentations of this disease can help in early detection, adequate treatment and good to fair outcomes. Due to the destruction of the midfoot joints, some patients report difficulty in walking on uneven surfaces and barefoot, for which triple arthrodesis may be offered.

Isolated C-C joint tuberculosis - A diagnostic dilemma

Painful lytic lesions of the foot raise a diagnostic dilemma for the foot surgeon. The localization of the lytic lesion in the mid foot is rare and isolated involvement of the calcaneo-cuboid (C-C) joint is even rarer. Early diagnosis is imperative in the mid foot to avoid rapid disease spread due to multiple venous interconnections. The diagnostic possibilities include infection, tumor (primary and metastasis), inflammatory arthritis, foreign body prick among others. The clues to rule out other differential diagnoses of lytic lesions can be history and examination, both clinical and radiographic but the gold standard for final diagnosis remains biopsy and histo-pathological examination. We describe two cases of lytic lesion around the calcaneo-cuboid joint and discuss the diagnostic dilemma. The lesions were diagnosed as tubercular in nature after histo-pathological examination of open biopsy. Both cases had complete resolution of lytic lesions and had fair functional outcome after completing the course of anti-tubercular therapy. Tuberculosis (TB) is making a worldwide resurgence due to the epidemic of HIV. In order to control this global epidemic of TB, it is important to know about all the possible presentations of the disease, including rare ones. Tuberculosis if diagnosed early in the disease course, when the pathology is localized, can result in good to fair results in the foot if adequately managed by anti-tubercular therapy.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

V.