[Head and neck lymph node lesions]

In 1999-2000, puncture cytological diagnosis was made in 134 patients. Enlarged lymph nodes (LN) were detected in 114 patients. The enlargement occurred due to nonspecific inflammation (38.6%), common hyperplasia (26.3%), tuberculosis (18.5%), metastases of cancer (14.9%), sarcoidosis (1.7%). LN tuberculosis was a frequent finding in adult women--in 2/3 of all tuberculosis cases. In children it was rare (3.7%). LN enlargement was caused by cancer in divided by of the cases. LN tuberculosis was detected in adults 5 times more frequently than in children. M. tuberculosis were detected bacterioscopically in tuberculous lymph nodes puncture biopsies only in 6 examinees (28.6%). The Mantoux test appeared unreliable in diagnosis of peripheral LN tuberculosis. Tuberculous LN located under the mandible or on the neck. Specific non-tuberculous processes, primarily malignant tumors, were revealed in enlarged parotid and supraclavicular LN in half of the cases.