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  • Title: Spinal tuberculosis--the commonest cause of non-traumatic paraplegia in Papua New Guinea.
    Author: Scrimgeour EM, Kaven J, Gajdusek DC.
    Journal: Trop Geogr Med; 1987 Jul; 39(3):218-21. PubMed ID: 3433337.
    Abstract:
    A retrospective study was undertaken of 53 cases of non-traumatic paraplegia admitted to two major hospitals in Papua New Guinea (PNG) from 1975-1982; 19 of these cases were examined. The mean age of the patients was 29 years (range: 2-70 years). Spinal tuberculosis was the commonest cause of paraplegia (83%), followed by neoplasia (7.5%). Two cases of chronic idiopathic arachnoiditis were noted but nutritional myelopathy was not diagnosed. Thirty-one (70%) of the 44 tuberculosis patients responded to treatment and were ambulant at discharge but only 18% were known to have completed 18 months' chemotherapy and 23% defaulted. The introduction of short-term chemotherapy regimens using rifampicin should improve future management of spinal tuberculosis in PNG.
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