Histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (Kikuchi's disease)

We report a typical case of histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case in Australasia. Histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (Kikuchi's disease) is a distinct disorder originally reported in Japan. It commonly affects young females and involves mainly cervical lymph nodes. The condition is benign. The etiology of histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis and its distinction from other causes of benign and malignant lymphadenopathies are discussed. The clinical importance of this disorder is that, histopathologically, it could be misdiagnosed as malignant lymphoma and therefore patients may receive incorrect treatment.