Oropharyngeal Syphilis: Imaging and Pathologic Findings in Two Patients

Syphilis is a widespread infection with increasing frequency in developed countries, especially among men who have sex with men. We present two cases of oropharyngeal syphilis in two middle-aged men who presented with a painless tonsillar ulcer and progressive enlargement of cervical lymph nodes suspected of being a tonsillar tumour. A pathologic analysis of the ulcer led to an accurate diagnosis. We review the imaging and pathologic findings to emphasize the importance of taking syphilis into account in the differential diagnosis.