[2 cases of scrofula following the ingestion of milk].
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Cervical lymphadenopathy with packet formation as the sole presentation of tuberculosis is very rarely seen in modern Japan. During the four years from 1987 to 1990, 5 cases of cervical scrofula with packet formation were treated with selective neck dissection followed by antituberculous chemotherapy at the ENT-department of Haibara General Hospital. Clinical evaluation of these cases suggested the following: 1) The physician must keep in mind that cervical scrofula should be included in the differential diagnosis of any neck masses, and malignant neck tumors particularly should be differentiated from cervical scrofula. 2) The treatment of cervical scrofula should be appropriate to the clinical stage diagnosed by CT or MRI. Recommended therapy for cervical scrofula with packet formation is selective neck dissection followed by antituberculous chemotherapy, which can shorten the period of treatment. 3) We present here a 22-year-old female from the Philippines with cervical scrofula and suggest that, in the future in Japan, tuberculosis may frequently be encountered in the immigrant population from the countries with high incidences of tuberculosis.
Scrofula or tuberculous cervical lymphadenopathy is a well known disease dating back thousands of years. In spite of antituberculous chemotherapy and public health measures, scrofula persists and is seen not infrequently among the recent immigrants to the United States from Southeast Asia and Mexico. Cervical lymphadenopathy may arise from infections with mycobacteria other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These infections may resemble one another, but it is important to make a distinction between them, for their clinical courses and treatments are different. A tuberculous infection usually responds very well to antituberculous chemotherapy, but a nontuberculous mycobacterial one may require surgical intervention for resolution of the problem. We would like to reawaken an awareness of this distinction and hope this paper will aid the reader in understanding the diagnosis and treatment of scrofula and nontuberculous mycobacterial cervical lymphadenopathy. The subject is reviewed, and illustrative cases are presented.
The most common manifestation of mycobacterial infection encountered in otolaryngologic practice is cervical lymphadenitis. Mycobacterial cervical lymphadenitis, or scrofula, remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge because it mimics other pathologic processes, and because of the inconsistent reliability of physical and laboratory findings. Twenty-five cases of scrofula were treated at our institution from 1973 to 1986. Positive chest x-ray was exhibited by five (20%) patients. Histologic examination of the excisional biopsy was the most reliable test with 100% positive specimens. This study emphasizes the marked variability in clinical presentation of scrofula and the importance of surgical excisional biopsy for histologic diagnosis.
To supply an additional differential diagnostic method for pathological diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and nontuberculous mycobacteria infections in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples by triplex-PCR. Three pairs of oligonucleotide primer were used in triplex-PCR. A 383 bp DNA fragment encoding part of the 65 kD mycobacterial surface antigen, a 123 bp fragment corresponding to a specific Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex sequence which was the insertion sequence 6110 (IS6110) and a 268 bp fragment for human beta-globin were amplified by triplex-PCR respectively. The sensitivity of the triplex-PCR-electrophoresis for the mycobacteria DNA was 0.6 picogram. The specific bands of 383 bp and 123 bp among the amplified DNA from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. bovis BCG and M. simiae were present in the agarose gel. By contrast, only a band of 383 bp was found among the nontuberculosis mycobacteria which contained M. avium, M. chelonae, M. scrofulaceum, M. xenopi, M. kansasii, M. intracellulare and M. smegmatis. Compared with the standard strains, there was an additional 268 bp band in simulated clinic samples infected by mycobacteria, 209 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples of the patients diagnosed as scrofula by clinic doctor at first visit were examined by triplex polymerase chain reaction. Among them, 193 tissue samples of the patients pathologically diagnosed as scrofula, tuberculous granulomatous tissue or tuberculous granulomatous inflammation were positive: the specific hands of 383 bp, 123 bp and 268 bp were present in the agarose gel and this tallied with Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex infection. Of 16 tissue samples of the patients pathologically diagnosed as suspicious scrofula, 15 samples were same positive results and this tallied with Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex infection, too; 1 sample could find the specific bands of 383 bp and 268 bp which were present in the agarose gel and this tallied with nontuberculous mycobacteria infection. The results showed that the triplex-PCR could detect and identify the DNA of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and nontuberculous mycobacteria except M. simiae. It is a valuable detecting method which has high sensitivity and specificity.
Scrofula (mycobacterial cervical lymphadenitis) has been well-known for thousands of years. Atypical mycobacteria were first categorized by Timpe and Runyon in 1954. Treatment has varied over the centuries, from exclusion therapy in ancient Greece, through digitalis, iodide, chemotherapy, and surgical excision. The varied differential diagnosis and consequent diagnostic and therapeutic challenges make reassessment of this almost forgotten disease necessary. 21 patients with typical mycobacterial cervical lymphadenitis seen in over the past 5 years were reviewed. Age distribution ranged from 1-14 years, with peak incidence at 4 years; 9 were boys and 12 girls. Most presented with nontender, palpable neck masses and minimal constitutional complaints. Adenopathy was unilateral in all cases but 2. Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare and M. fortuitum were the main causative organisms. All underwent excision of the affected nodes. Long-term follow-up has been uneventful, except for 1 case of local recurrence requiring re-excision. This study emphasizes the marked variability in the clinical presentation of scrofula in children, stressing the importance of the differential diagnosis between tuberculous and atypical mycobacterial cervical lymphadenitis. The treatment of choice for the latter is complete excision of the affected nodes. Other treatment is followed by recurrence and unnecessary complications and should be avoided.
In a series of 133 patients with a primary diagnosis of tuberculosis admitted to the Naval Regional Medical Center, San Diego, Calif, during a four-year period from July 1967 to July 1971, 29 (16.7%) had extrapulmonary lymphadenitis. The cervical region was involved in 20 (68.7%) of these cases. This report reviews the history of scrofula and deals with specific diagnostic tests which are helpful in separating tuberculous adenitis from other masses found commonly in the neck. Excisional biopsy and methods of handling these specimens are stressed. The higher incidence of tuberculous lymphadenitis in dark-skinned individuals, especially Orientals, when compared with a similar population group with pulmonary tuberculosis is noted and theories for this stated.
The earliest images of medicine and surgery in Western art are from the late Middle Ages. Although often attractive, at that time they were illustrative and mirrored the text on how to diagnose or treat a specific condition. These drawings in medieval manuscripts represent management of abscesses, perianal infection and fistulas, amputation, and wound dressings. With the Renaissance, art in all its forms flourished, and surgeons were represented at work draining carbuncles, infected bursae, and mastoiditis; managing ulcers, scrofula, and skin infections; and performing amputations. Specific diagnosis can be made, such as streptococcal infection in the discarded leg of the miraculous transplantation performed by Saints Cosmas and Damian and in the works of Rembrandt van Rijn and Frederic Bazille. Evocations of cytokine activity are evident in works by Albrecht Dürer, Edvard Munch, and James Tissot. The iconography of society's view of a surgeon is apparent and often not complimentary. The surgeon's art is a visual art. Astute observation leads to early diagnosis and better results in surgical infection and the septic state. Learning to see what we look at enhances our appreciation of the world around us but, quite specifically, makes us better clinicians.
Twelve patients with coexistent well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma and primary hyperparathyoidism were studied to determine the frequency of previous radiation exposure. Eight were found to have received prior irradiation. External radiation was administered to the head and neck region for benign conditions such as tonsillar enlargement, acne, scrofula, and thyroid enlargement. One patient received 131I therapy for carcinoma of the thyroid. The observation that 67% of the patients in this series had previous radiation to the head and neck strongly implicates radiation exposure in the development of coexistent well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma and hyperparathyroidism.
Oral administration of complex indigo powder, an anti-scrofula powder, at a daily dose of 0.5 g/kg, raised the leukocyte count in rats injured by irradiation, but prophylactic administration could not prevent the leukopenia induced by irradiation. This dosage did not affect growth in rats and oral doses up to 6 g/kg did not induce any toxic reactions in mice.
A 39-year-old Marshall Islands woman was referred for evaluation of an abdominal mass. Medical history was significant only for pulmonary tuberculosis and scrofula. The patient denied a personal or family history of pancreatic or endocrine disease. Physical examination revealed normal vital signs and a 12-cm mildly tender left upper quadrant mass. A computed tomography scan revealed an 11-cm cystic mass contiguous with the distal pancreas and closely associated with the hilum of the spleen and the left kidney. Based on these findings and the patient's history, a cystic neoplasm of the pancreas was suspected, and she was subsequently taken to the operating room for exploration. Intraoperatively, the patient became markedly hypertensive with manipulation of the mass, requiring intravenous nitroprusside. Histopathological evaluation confirmed the diagnosis of cystic pheochromocytoma (PCC). The patient's postoperative course was uncomplicated. Cystic PCCs may not present with the classic prodromal symptoms associated with solid PCCs. This case represents the complex and unsuspected presentation of an extremely rare functional cystic neoplasm. A high index of suspicion for cystic PCC is necessary when confronted with cystic lesions in the vicinity of the adrenal glands. Failure to recognize cystic PCC before resection may lead to uncontrollable hypertension in the operating room, with potentially serious consequences.
Cervical tuberculous lymphadenitis (scrofula) is an infectious granulomatous disease that requires a precise diagnosis. The differential diagnosis involves mainly the pathologic conditions involving the regional lymph nodes and the submandibulary salivary glands. Although tuberculous lesions generally develop secondary to pulmonary disease, clinical manifestations are occasionally seen with no evidence of involvement of the lungs. In this report, a case of tuberculous submandibular lymphadenitis developing after endodontic treatment of the mandibular first premolar tooth is described.
A patient is described in whom Mycobacterium bovis genitourinary tuberculosis occurred initially 25 years after childhood scrofula and then recurred 29 years later despite apparently successful therapy. A review of the literature indicated that this 29-year interval between successive bouts of clinical genitourinary tuberculosis is among the longest described. This case also is a reminder that, although rare, Mycobacterium bovis infection and genitourinary tuberculosis still occur. To avoid nonrecognition of this disease and its potentially serious consequences, clinicians should remain vigilant for tuberculosis even in unusual clinical circumstances.