THE DIAGNOSIS AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF TUBERCULOUS MENINGITIS
Approximately 30% of people with tuberculous §meningitis (TBM) die despite modern treatment. §Survival is dependent upon early treatment but §diagnosis is difficult: the clinical features are §non-specific, conventional bacteriology is widely §regarded as insensitive, and newer diagnostic tests §are incompletely evaluated. In addition, the §pathogenesis of TBM remains so poorly understood §that prospects for new interventions to improve §outcome are few. This thesis examines the diagnosis §and pathophysiology of TBM in adults admitted to an §infectious disease hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, §Vietnam. The aim was to address three questions: §what is the best method for distinguishing TBM from §other central nervous system disorders, how does §disease pathophysiology relate to treatment and §clinical outcome, and what other variables influence §prognosis?