Tuberculous cervical lymphadenopathy in Babylon

Abstract EN

Objectives : The aim of this study is to evaluate the frequency of Tuberculosis (TB) presenting as cervical lymphadenopathy (LAP), to describe the clinical picture with which the patient may present, and to evaluate the most yielding laboratory investigations to be recommended. Patients and Methods : The study included all patients more than 13 years old presenting with the complaint of cervical LAP of both genders for the period from September 2008 to September 2012 who had been managed in Hilla General Teaching and Merjan Teaching Hospitals.

All of them were submitted to Fine Needle Aspiration Cytological examination (FNAC).

Excisional / incisional lymph node biopsy was undertaken when this procedure had been required. Results : We reviewed a total of 220 patientspresented with cervical LAP.

The study revealed tuberculous cervical LAP in 155(70.45 %), 30(13.63 %) cases were suffering from reactive hyperplasia cervical LAP, 25(11.3 %) cases were due to secondary metastatses, 10(4.54 %) proved to be lymphoma cases while only 5(2.27 %) cases were due to non-specific chronic LAP.

Family history and suggestive constitutional symptoms were undetectable in most of the cases of cervical LAP.

TB affected the lymph nodes located in the posterior triangle of the neck in most of the cases. Conclusion : The most common aetiology of cervical LAP was TB process.

The aetiology behind this should be investigated in more depth.

While most of the laboratory investigations commonly used were not so much helpful in confirming the diagnosis, FNAC exam was so sensitive in settling the diagnosis.