Anis Anwar Zahari
1* 
, Norazian Kamisan
2, Norhaslinda Bahaudin
3, Abdul Qayyum
11 Orthopaedic Trainee, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Putrajaya, Malaysia
2 Consultant Orthopaedic Paediatric Surgeon Hospital Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (UPM), Ministry of Education, Serdang, Malaysia
3 Consultant Orthopaedic Advanced Musculoskeletal Trauma Surgeon Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar, Ministry of Health, Seremban, Malaysia
Abstract
Tuberculosis can affect one-third of the musculoskeletal system, but isolated bone tuberculosis in infants is extremely rare, often presenting with non-specific symptoms that can lead to misdiagnosis. Cystic forms of tuberculosis can resemble various other pathological conditions Here, we present a case of tuberculosis osteomyelitis affecting the distal tibia in a nine-month-old infant who visited our outpatient department due to swelling and pain in the left ankle. The lesion was treated with curettage and debridement on two occasions. The patient was fitted with an under-knee splint for three months and received anti-tuberculosis therapy for twelve months. During a one-year follow-up, there were no signs of relapse, and no epiphyseal injury or deformity was observed. This case emphasizes the need to consider tuberculous osteomyelitis in the differential diagnosis of lytic lesions in the distal tibia metaphysis in infants.