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TUBERCULOSIS OF THE THYROID GLAND: A CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL PROFILE OF FOUR CASES AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Author(s) -
Khan E. M.,
Haque I.,
Pandey R.,
Mishra S. K.,
Sharma A. K.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.111
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 0004-8682
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.1993.tb00345.x
Subject(s) - medicine , thyroid , tuberculosis , thyroiditis , multinodular goitre , histopathology , pathology , malignancy , euthyroid , pathological , dysphagia , disease , radiology , thyroidectomy
Four cases of tuberculosis of the thyroid with different presentations including chronic sinus (following drainage of thyroid abscess), thyrotoxicosis, severe dysphagia clinically mimicking malignancy and euthyroid multinodular goitre are described. Except in the case presenting with chronic sinus (discharging acid‐fast bacilli), the diagnosis was a pathological surprise (cytopathology in one and histopathology in two). Only in one case was there evidence of disease outside the cervical region. All cases showed multiple coalescing and caseating epitheloid cell granulomas along with giant cells, which are considered as diagnostic of tuberculous thyroiditis even if acid fast bacilli cannot be demonstrated. The literature is reviewed and the pathogenesis discussed.