LEPROSY
Leprosy Review
0305-7518
British Leprosy Relief Association
Colchester, UK
38-1385
0305-7518/06/064053+05
10.47276/lr.77.4.381
Case Report
Magnetic resonance imaging of ulnar nerve abscess in leprosy: a case report
HariSmriti
aSubramanianSubramanian
aa
Department of Radiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India
Correspondence to: Raju Sharma (e-mail: raju152@yahoo.com)
01122006
77
4
381
385
08092006
© Lepra
2006
A 14-year-old girl on multidrug treatment for borderline tuberculoid leprosy presented with a swelling in her left arm and soon thereafter developed an ulnar claw hand. MRI showed a well-defined ovoid lesion arising from the left ulnar nerve, isointense to muscle onT1W images and hyperintense on T2W and STIR images. On post-gadolinium T1W sequence, the lesion showed peripheral rim enhancement with central necrosis suggestive of abscess. The ulnar nerve proximal and distal to the lesion was thickened and showed mild contrast enhancement. On aspiration the swelling yielded frank pus which was positive for acid-fast bacilli.