
Case Report: Diagnostic Pitfalls in an Atypical Case of Primary Neuritic Leprosy
Author(s) -
Winnie W. Ooi,
Shrein Saini
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the american journal of tropical medicine and hygiene
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.015
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1476-1645
pISSN - 0002-9637
DOI - 10.4269/ajtmh.20-1130
Subject(s) - leprosy , medicine , pathology , peripheral nerve , mycobacterium leprae , dermatology , anatomy
Primary neuritic leprosy is a form of leprosy clinically limited to the peripheral nerves without obvious skin lesions. Diagnosing leprosy in the absence of typical dermatological features is challenging and often causes a delay in diagnosis. We describe a case of primary neuritic leprosy with atypical features and the roles that histological confirmation using nerve biopsy of an unenlarged nerve and newer techniques, such as polymerase chain reaction and high-resolution ultrasonography, play in improving the diagnosis.