Unusual Presentation of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis as Laryngeal Mass in an Atypical Patient
Open accessAbstract
Spread of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) to the larynx is exceedingly rare and can be obscured by more common conditions such as laryngeal cancer or oropharyngeal candidiasis, complicating an accurate diagnosis. Risk factors for chronic laryngeal disease, such as smoking and toxin exposure, place TB infection comparatively lower for consideration on a physician's differential. However, identifying these lesions is crucial from a medical and public health perspective to prevent community spread. We report the case of a 60-year-old male who presented with dysphonia, pharyngitis, aphasia, and significant unintentional weight loss. X-rays demonstrated focal opacities in the upper lung lobes. Laryngoscope biopsy revealed caseating granulomas and a positive culture for MTB. Laryngeal TB presents as a suspicious throat mass with nonspecific symptoms and should be thoroughly investigated by clinicians.
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Laryngoscopy is crucial for visualizing laryngeal lesions, and biopsies are essential for histopathological confirmation.
“Laryngoscopy is crucial for visualizing laryngeal lesions, and biopsies are essential for histopathological confirmation. Direct or microscopic laryngoscopy is preferred. The presence of granulomas, giant cells, and caseous necrosis in samples taken is indicative of TB [39,41].”
From Head and Neck Tuberculosis: A Rare Diagnosis and the Role of Surgical Biopsy and Histopathological Evaluation in Extrapulmonary Disease (2025) · cites this paper as [39]
Diagnosing laryngeal TB presents unique difficulty due to its rarity and similarity in symptoms to other laryngeal conditions, particularly laryngeal carcinoma.
“Diagnosing laryngeal TB presents unique difficulty due to its rarity and the similarity in symptoms to other laryngeal conditions, particularly laryngeal carcinoma [39].”
From Head and Neck Tuberculosis: A Rare Diagnosis and the Role of Surgical Biopsy and Histopathological Evaluation in Extrapulmonary Disease (2025) · cites this paper as [39]
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Mogoantă, C. A., Osman, A., Georgescu, A.-M., Mitroi, A. M., Busuioc, C. I., Tănase, I., Cioboată, R., Liliac, I. M., Cimpeanu, O. L., & Ciolofan, M. S. (2025) · Pathogens · doi:10.3390/pathogens14050479 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Diagnosing laryngeal TB presents unique difficulty due to its rarity and the similarity in symptoms to other laryngeal conditions, particularly laryngeal carcinoma [39].”
- Authors
- Agarwal, R. D., Marino, M. D., Whalen, M. J., & Walker, R. J.
- Affiliations
- Saint Louis University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Agarwal, Rohan Dipesh
- Venue
- Case Reports in Medicine
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2024-01
- Volume
- 2024
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 9912317-9912317
- ISSN
- 1687-9627 (ISSN-L)
- 1687-9635
- PMC
- PMC11661869
- OpenAlex
- W4405373540
- Cited by
- 1
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1
- FWCI
- 0.42
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Case Reports in Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Saint Louis University
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Infectious Diseases and Tuberculosis
- Keywords
- extrapulmonary tuberculosis, laryngeal tuberculosis, laryngeal mass, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, caseating granulomas, differential diagnosis, laryngeal cancer, oropharyngeal candidiasis, dysphonia, pharyngitis, aphasia, weight loss, smoking, community transmission
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