Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a major cause of myelopathy and radiculopathy in settings with a high prevalence of tuberculosis/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection. However, a paucity of publications exists on the spectrum of neurological and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings of spinal tuberculosis in these populations.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of adults with spinal tuberculosis at a referral center in South Africa for patients with spinal disease without bony involvement seen at plain film radiography.