SKELETAL AND EXTRASKELETAL TUBERCULOUS LESIONS ASSOCIATED WITH JOINT TUBERCULOSIS

¹ Fellow of the New York Orthopaedic Dispensary and Hospital, New York, N. Y.

1. Of this series of 555 patients with joint tuberculosis, the diagnosis was proved in all but 176 in whom the disease was localized in the vertebral bodies.

2. Active pulmonary tuberculosis was found in 12 per cent. of the patients, inactive in 36 per cent., and no demonstrable lesion in 52 per cent.

3. In this series pulmonary lesions, when associated with joint tuberculosis, were relatively benign in character.

4. Tuberculosis was found in 24 per cent. of the tonsils removed.

5. Only one negative tuberculin test was found in this series of patients. Therefore, a negative tuberculin test is of great value in excluding the diagnosis of tuberculosis of the bones and joints.

6. Tuberculous disease of the genito-urinary tract was found in 2.5 per cent. of the patients.

7. Ninety-one, or 16 per cent., of the patients in this series had 123 associated tuberculous lesions other than pulmonary disease.

8. The mortality rate was 8 per cent. (forty-five patients) in this series.

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