Abstract:

Objective    To explore the clinical manifestations of the laryngeal tuberculosis(LTB) to improve the diagnosis of LTB. Method    The clinical dates of  13  LTB cases were reviewed. Results    Hoarseness, sore throat and cough were the most common symptoms in LTB. Fever, weight loss, fatigue and other general symptoms were rare. In this cohort, there were 13 hoarseness, 9 sore throat (69%), 6 cough (46%) and 1 fever, weight loss and fatigue (8%). Three types were identified under the laryngoscope, including infiltrative edema type (four cases), proliferative hyperplasia type (six cases), and chronic laryngitis-like type (three cases). Lung CT demonstrated 11 pulmonary tuberculosis infections. Throat biopsy was performed in eleven cases except of two whose lesions were confined to the vocal cords. Among these cases, ten were confirmed as LTB but one. PPD test showed twelve positive cases. Conclusion    LTB, though with non-specific clinical manifestations, shows some kinds of specific characteristics under the laryngoscopy. Early detection relies mainly on laryngoscopy, however, diagnosis should be confirmed with the combination of biopsy, lung CT and the PPD test.

Key words: Tuberculosis, laryngeal; Laryngoscope; Tuberculosis, pulmonary； Biopsy