CT Finding of Tuberculous Cervical Lymphadenitis and Management

Kim, Young Mo; Cho, Jung Il; Choi, Sang Hak; Kim, Dae Hyung; Yang, Tae Yong; Jang, Geun Wook

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
There are controversies in the management of tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis in spite of high prevalence. This study was performed to investigate clinical findings of the patients indicated for surgery and to analyze clinical efficacies of surgery and antituberculous chemotherapy.
Materials and METHODS
Fourty patients who had been pathologically confirmed to have cervical tuberculous lymphadenitis were analyzed retrospectively. We classified them into 4 groups according to CT findings and checked their clinical and laborotary findings, as well as efficacies of treatment used. RESULTS: The Type 4 was the most common. All patients were treated with antituberculous medication. In Type 1 and 2, 11 patients among 13 patients were treated with antituberculous medication alone, whereas in Type 3 and 4, 21 patients among 27 patients were treated with the combined method of surgery and antituberculous medication. Most complicated cases were Type 3 and 4, where two cases had recurrence, but most of the cases had local wound problems. All of these complicated cases had recovered to nearly normal state. Two recurrent cases were treated with the combined methods completely. CONCLUSION: For cases that fall into type 1 and 2 tuberculous cervical lymphadenopathys, Antituberculous medication can serve as the first line of treatment. For cases that fall into type 3 and 4 tuberculous cervical lymphadenopathy, the combined method of surgery and antituberculous medication can be the first choice of treatment. For the initial treatment of type 3, 4, applying antituberculous medication for a period of 1-2 months before surgical intervention would be a more effective treatment.