Treatment for 15 Cases of Cervical Tuberculosis

After a detailed medical history had been taken along with clinical examination, excision biopsy of involved nodes was performed in patients with cervical lymphadenopathy. Biopsy of the deep cervical abscess was performed on the occasions when the cervical lymph nodes were either negative or uncertain and clinical suspicion was high for tuberculosis. Routine tests including complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), Mantoux test (purified protein derivative skin test), chest radiography, transnasal fiberoptic laryngoscopy, cervical and abdominal ultrasound, and sputum examination for acid‐fast bacilli were also performed in all of the patients. After confirmation of diagnosis, all patients were transferred to the Department of Pulmonary Tuberculosis and treated with standard chemotherapy. All of the patients were followed up at monthly intervals for at least 6 months and progress was assessed by clinical examination as well as 3‐monthly ESR estimation. Tuberculosis was the most common cause of cervical lymphadenopathy or abscess, accounting for 15 out of 52 cases. Other causes included metastatic (11 patients), nonspecific inflammation (14 patients), lymphoma (4 patients), infectious branchial cleft cysts (2 patients), or other infectious cervical cysts (6 patients).