Clinical Features and Problems of Laryngeal Tuberculosis

Abstract

Since 1999, the number of new tuberculosis patients in this country has been decreasing but the number of cases of pharyngeal and laryngeal tuberculosis has remained the same. We treated ten cases of laryngeal tuberculosis in our institution from 2011 through 2016. The patients' ages ranged from 30 to 86 years with an average of 67.3±21.7 years (mean±SE) ; four were men and six were women. The most frequent chief complaint was hoarseness (n＝8)．Endoscopic findings were categorized into three types of lesions : granulomatous (n＝6)，perichondritic (n＝3) and ulcerative (n＝1)．Positive rates for tuberculosis diagnosis were 60% with smear speculum tests, 100% with culture tests, and 88% with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)．Abnormal findings were recognized in 70% of cases with chest X-ray and 100% of cases with chest CT. Two of five cases (40.0%) could be diagnosed as tuberculosis by pathological examination. Because the appearance of laryngeal tuberculosis is variable, diagnosis is difficult. Prompt bacteriological examination and pulmonary imaging are important for early diagnosis and to prevent spreading.