2004, Number 3
Tuberculous lymphadenopathy of the neck: A diagnosis that should not be forgotten
Zaldívar RFR, Hurtado LLM, Ramírez TD
Full text
Language: Spanish
References: 10
Page: 177-180
PDF size: 55.61 Kb.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To show the frequency of cervical ganglionar tuberculosis and its antecedents in the population of the Central Valley of Mexico.Setting: Third level health care hospital.
Design: Retrospective, transversal, and descriptive study.
Statistical analysis: Central tendency measures and percentages.
Patients and methods: Patients referred to the Thyroid Clinic of the General Hospital of Mexico for evaluation and diagnosis of increased cervical lymphatic volume during a 24-months period, and subjected to ganglionar excision or fine-needle aspiration biopsy, with suspicion of ganglionar tuberculosis.
Results: Three-hundred twenty-eight procedures were performed, of these 12 (3.65%) cases corresponded to ganglionar tuberculosis. Eleven (91.3%) women and one (8.3%) man, average age of 24.6 years. Tuberculosis antecedent in one patient only. Symptomatology consisted of ganglionar growth in the neck, painless in nine patients, slight pain in three; evolution time of six months, three (25%) with fistula that drained caseous material. Average ganglionar size was of 8 cm3. Six cases were localized at lymphatic level III, followed by level I (3 cases), level II (2 cases) and level IV (1 case). Patients received the treatment recommended by the National Tuberculosis Program of Mexico.
Discussion: In every patient with increased lymphatic cervical volume, tuberculosis must be considered as a diagnostic possibility. Diagnosis can be achieved through culture, FNAB or excisional biopsy and, once confirmed, treatment must be initiated; it generally evolves well.
REFERENCES