[Extrapulmonary tuberculosis in the patients of otholaryngology department--case reports].

UNLABELLED: Tubercle bacillus infection is widespread in all areas of the world and affects one-third of the human population. Tuberculosis can affect each organ in the body and although the most common presentation is pulmonary tuberculosis it can also develop in laryngological organs. THE AIM OF THE STUDY was the analyze symptomatology and also the diagnostic and therapeutic process of tuberculosis in the larynx, the lymph nodes of the neck, the ear and the palatine tonsils.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The evaluation of medical documentation of 9 patients hospitalized in department of otholaryngology in the period of last 4 years was conducted. In all of them extrapulmonary tuberculosis developed in tissues and organs of the upper respiratory tract, neck and middle ear was detected.

RESULTS: In the analyzed group there were 5 women and 4 men. The age of patients varied from 40 to 75 years (average 56.3). In the examined group there were three cases of the larynx tuberculosis, three cases of tuberculosis of the lymph nodes, two cases of the ear tuberculosis and one case of tuberculosis of the palatine tonsils.

CONCLUSIONS: The source of the diagnosis in analyzed cases was first of all histopathological examination. Tuberculosis process found in the area of middle ear and palatine tonsils imitated chronic, non-specific inflammation and in the case concerning the ear was the only location of the illness. Tuberculosis of larynx in all the patients co-existed with specific changes in lungs and took the form of tumors suggesting neoplasmatic background of the disease. Tuberculosis of the lymph nodes can take the form of the neck abscess.