An unusual case of tuberculous parotitis

• Published in: Otolaryngology case reports Vol. 9; pp. 26 - 28
• Main Authors: Bohorquez, Dominique, Newman, Jason G, Stern, John, Rajasekaran, Karthik
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.11.2018; Elsevier
• Subjects: Otolaryngology
• ISSN: 2468-5488; 2468-5488
• DOI: 10.1016/j.xocr.2018.07.003

Abstract Background Tuberculosis (TB) of the parotid gland is exceedingly rare, even in areas of high disease burden. We report a case of isolated tuberculosis (TB) of the parotid gland. Methods 25-year-old Puerto Rican female, who was born and raised in the United States, presented with a 3-month of history of recurrent left parotid gland swelling and pain. She had three attempts of fine needle aspirations (FNA), which were non-diagnostic. She was treated for a 3-month duration of antibiotics without much success. She did not have any constitutional symptoms, personal history of immunosuppression or prior exposure to TB. On CT and MRI, there appeared to be a fairly well-circumscribed mass in the deep lobe of left parotid. Because various FNA were unsuccessful in identifying the etiology of the mass, the decision was made to perform a deep lobe parotidectomy. Results Histopathology revealed a large necrotizing granuloma with fibrous wall and numerous histiocytes. Based on these findings, she had a PPD and quantiferon gold test, both of which were positive. A chest X-ray was negative, thus demonstrating that she had latent TB. Conclusion We believe this is one of the first reported cases of tuberculous parotitis in the United States. Clinicians should be aware of this rare entity and may consider ordering a PPD test in those patients who have failed treatment or yielding a diagnosis.