European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

TUBERCULAR ABSCESS OF PAROTID: A DIAGNOSTIC DILEMMA

Dr. Ankur Gupta*, Dr. Gul Motwani, Dr. Anukaran Mahajan

ABSTRACT

Tuberculosis is a chronic infection and a major heath burden in many countries. It can involve almost any organ of the body, most common being the Lungs, followed by Lymph Nodes, Peritoneum, Genital Tract, Pleura, Cervical Spine, Cold Abscesses, Intestine, Pericardium, Kidneys, Meninges and other organs. Tuberculosis in the parotid region is an extremely rare presentation and can mimic a pyogenic abscess or a parotid neoplasm. Our case, a 12 year old female, presented with a parotid swelling. An initial diagnosis of pyogenic parotid abscess was made and treatment given. But the disease recurred, prompting further investigations which revealed it to be a tubercular abscess. Appropriate anti-tubercular therapy was started and the patient is responding well to the treatment.

Keywords: tuberculosis, parotid tubercular abscess, anti-tubercular therapy (ATT), AFB (Acid Fast Bacillus) Staining, GeneXpert.