Open AccessPersistent cervical lymphadenitis in a patient with prior thyroid cancer attributed to Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease
Author(s) -
Roman Zuckerman,
Louise Damiani,
Hashem Ayyad,
Deborah Alpert
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
bmj case reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.231
H-Index - 26
ISSN - 1757-790X
DOI - 10.1136/bcr-2018-226457
Subject(s) - medicine , cervical lymphadenopathy , lymph node biopsy , malignancy , cervical lymph nodes , dermatology , prednisone , inguinal lymphadenopathy , lymph node , biopsy , surgery , radiology , cancer , disease , pathology , metastasis
We describe a 50-year-old woman with a history of thyroid cancer who presented with bilateral cervical and submandibular lymphadenopathy, low-grade fevers, and increasing fatigue. The patient underwent lymph node fine-needle aspiration, which showed no evidence of metastatic or lymphoproliferative disease. This procedure was complicated by a parapharyngeal abscess and cellulitis. She was treated unsuccessfully with various courses of antibiotics, but briefly responded to short courses of steroids. As her cervical lymphadenopathy returned, she underwent an excisional lymph node biopsy, which demonstrated caseating granulomatous lymphadenitis. Extensive review of systems, physical examination, laboratory and imaging studies demonstrated no evidence of malignancy, infection or systemic lupus erythematosus . Our patient was clinically diagnosed with Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease and successfully treated with prednisone tapered over 3 months. She remains in clinical remission.