Tuberculous Cervical Adenitis

Peripheral Tuberculous Lymphadenitis

“…It is a common manifestation of extrapulmonary TB in the developed world and accounts for approximately half of the annually reported cases of extrapulmonary disease in Santa Clara County 72,73 . The pathogenesis of this disease has been the subject of much debate as it is not clear if TB lymphadenitis represents local disease or is part of a generalized process 40,45,57,60,80,88,90 . While most cases in adults reflect reactivation or postprimary TB, there are reports in the literature suggesting that the enlargement of the nodes in the head and neck are representative of primary local infection of the tonsils or nasopharynx 57,80,86,88,93 .…”

“…In a series of prospective studies by the British Thoracic Society [12][13][14]76,77 , medical therapy was shown to be highly efficacious. Current short course rifampin-containing medical therapy after initial diagnostic biopsy 12,13,20,21,48,83,94 has made the need for radical surgical excision and surgical excision with prolonged drug therapy obsolete 1,11,15,16,24,[35][36][37]40,49,60,80,88 . Treatment duration is typically 6 months, and this duration n 2005 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins has been shown to be as effective as regimens of 9-18 months 12,54,76,77,94 .…”

“…In the 19th century, after Koch demonstrated mycobacteria in lymph nodes, scrofula was finally recognized to be a consequence of tuberculosis (TB) 31 . For most of the 20th century, lymphadenitis was treated with wide excision and prolonged antituberculous therapy 1,11,15,16,24,[35][36][37]40,49,60,80,88 . Only in the modern era, with the introduction of effective short course rifampin-containing chemotherapy, has tuberculous lymphadenitis become an easily treatable medical disease 12,14,20,48,54,76,83,94 .…”

Tuberculous lymphadenitis in childhood: The significance of anonymous mycobacteria

“…THE CLINICAL GROUPS Group A. Tuberculous Cervical Lymphadenitis with Pulmonary Tuberculosis: II Cases.-The incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in our cases of cervical adenitis was 8 per cent-11 patients in Group A in the total of 133 formed by Groups A and D. Kilpatrick and Douglas (1957) reported the incidence of pulmonary disease as 50 per cent in 52 cases of cervical adenitis in Edinburgh; Miller and Cashman (1958) 20 per cent in 159 cases in Newcastle upon Tyne; and Wilmot, James, and Reilly (1957) 51 per cent in 81 cases of tuberculous cervical adenitis in Northern Ireland.…”

Isolation of acid-fast organisms from surgical specimens

“…The difficulty in recovering living organisms from surgical lymph nodes was described also by Wilmot et al (11). More than 80% of histologically positive lymph nodes did not yield growth, and the authors reported the finding of a bacteriostatic substance in nodes of infected animals.…”