RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Primary tonsillar tuberculosis
JF BMJ Case Reports
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP bcr-2017-223634
DO 10.1136/bcr-2017-223634
VO 2018
A1 Swetha Sasikumar
A1 Irfan Ismail Ayub
A1 Senthil Kannan
A1 Rajendiran Swaminathan
YR 2018
UL http://casereports.bmj.com/content/2018/bcr-2017-223634.abstract
AB Upper aerodigestive tract involvement with tuberculosis is relatively rare and may be seen in up to 2% of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Isolated tonsil involvement with tuberculosis is not commonly seen in clinical practice. We report a case of a 22-year-old postpartum mother who presented with odynophagia, fever, loss of weight and submandibular swelling of 3 months’ duration. Clinical examination revealed a submandibular node, and oropharyngeal examination revealed necrotic slough overlying an enlarged left tonsil. Fine-needle aspiration cytology of the node and histopathological examination of the left tonsillectomy specimen revealed necrotising epithelioid cell granulomas, and stain for acid-fast bacilli was positive in the latter. She was diagnosed with tonsillar tuberculosis and was started on antituberculous treatment following which she improved clinically. This case serves to demonstrate an uncommon presentation of primary tuberculosis and reminds us to consider tuberculosis also as a microbiological aetiology for tonsillitis.