Open AccessNot All ENT Granulomas Are Wegener’s – Keep Tuberculosis in Mind
Author(s) -
Barbára Pedro,
Marta Meleiro,
António Marinho
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
european journal of case reports in internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.125
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 2284-2594
DOI - 10.12890/2020_001469
Subject(s) - medicine , tuberculosis , granulomatosis with polyangiitis , biopsy , magnetic resonance imaging , mycobacterium tuberculosis , dermatology , surgery , radiology , pathology , vasculitis , disease
Mycobacterium tuberculosis affects the middle ear in rare cases and is a challenging diagnosis. In this case, we present a 57-year-old patient diagnosed with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-negative granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) following a biopsy result of nasal granulomas, who was immediately started on immunosuppressive treatment. Years later, she developed progressive hypoacusis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an extensive mass in the tympanic cavity extending to the mastoid. A biopsy of the mass was positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Immunosuppressants were weaned and the patient was started on anti-tuberculous therapy with resolution of the complaints and findings. Tuberculous infections are difficult to diagnose and frequently mimic other illnesses, but in our case, we believe that an indolent tuberculous process was present from the beginning and evolved under immunosuppressive therapy.