1989 Volume 35 Issue 3 Pages 737-744
A case of tuberculosis of the tongue with active pulmonary tuberclosis is presented. Tuberculosis of the tongue is uncommon and generally considered to be derived front the pulmonary disease. In this case the pulmonary disease went unnoticed till the tongue lesion was recognized.
53-year-old man came to our hospital because of a contact pain of the tip of the tongue. A painful, irregularly shaped ulceration, 15×18mm in size with the edge undermined, was noticed on the tip of the tongue. The surface of the ulcer was covered with a grayish-white coating.
The clinical diagnosis of malignant tumor was made, so a biopsy was performed. The pathological diagnosis was suggestive of tuberculosis of the tongue. The chest X-ray film showed extensive active pulmonary tuberculosis and the cultures of the sputum showed a tubercle bacilli.
A diagnosis of tuberculosis of the tongue secondary to pulmonary tuberculosis was made. The patient was given antituberculosis drugs. The ulcer was completly disappeared in 3 weeks.
