Tuberculous parotitis: case report and literature review.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

Our aim was to better understand the rarely encountered tuberculous (TB) parotitis.

METHODS:

A case of TB parotitis is reported, and the literature is reviewed.

RESULTS:

Forty-nine patients (27 men, 22 women; mean age, 38.3 +/- 16.4 years) were enrolled. The median duration of symptoms before these patients sought medical help was 6 months. Except for 1 patient with bilateral TB parotitis, all had unilateral involvement; complications included draining sinuses in 4 patients (8%) and facial palsy in 2 patients (4%). Twenty-one of 36 patients (58%) had a painless parotid mass, 12 of 19 (63%) had cervical lymphadenitis, 8 of 11 (73%) had fever, and 11 of 44 (25%) had pulmonary tuberculosis (4 active and 7 inactive cases). Neoplasm was the most common presumptive diagnosis. The diagnosis of TB parotitis in most cases was made on the basis of cytologic analysis of the fine-needle aspirate or histopathologic analysis of the excised tissue. Forty-six patients with TB parotitis who had a traceable outcome survived after 6 to 10 months of antituberculosis chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS:

Physicians should have a high index of suspicion for TB parotitis in patients with a chronic parotid lump, even if the chest radiographs appear normal. Fine-needle aspiration should be performed first for diagnosis, and TB parotitis should be medically treated.

• Authors: Ing-Kit Lee, Jien-Wei Liu
• Journal: The Annals of otology, rhinology, and laryngology (Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol) Vol. 114 Issue 7 Pg. 547-51 (Jul 2005) ISSN: 0003-4894 [Print] United States
• PMID: 16134352 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article, Review)

Topics

• Aged
• Biopsy, Fine-Needle
• Fatal Outcome
• Female
• Humans
• Parotitis (diagnosis, microbiology, pathology, therapy)
• Tuberculosis, Oral (diagnosis, pathology, therapy)