Publication:

Parotid gland tuberculosis-presentation of 4 case variants

Pulmonary tuberculosis is a necrotizing granulomatous disease with diverse presentation. Nevertheless, extra pulmonary involvement although rare even in endemic regions, is associated with diagnostic dilemma for confirmation and treatment modalities. Contextually, parotid gland tuberculosis is a rare surgical presentation because of nonspecific signs, symptoms and allegedly low incidence; it is often misdiagnosed as parotid neoplasm, and therefore remains a diagnostic paradox. However, clinical suspicion alongside pathological evidence and imaging helps in diagnosing indecisive questionable cases. We present 4 cases of parotid tuberculosis each with different clinical presentation along with clinical suspicion and pathological diagnosis. Parotid tuberculosis is a rare clinical entity and completely curable by category-I anti-tubercular therapy. It has no residual deformity if diagnosed timely followed by conservative treatment management.