Post-operative Diagnosis of Primary Parotid Tuberculosis in a Patient Initially Diagnosed as Benign Pleomorphic...

Primary parotid tuberculosis is a well-known but extremely rare entity even in endemic countries. Most of the cases are diagnosed late in the course of illness when the parotid shows features of cold abscess leading to facial disfigurement. Early diagnosis is a clinical challenge due to lack of clinical suspicion as well as absence of clinical or radiological tests suggestive of the disease. Fine needle aspiration cytology features of early tuberculosis can easily be confused with a pleomorphic adenoma. When ultrasound examination of a parotid lesion is atypical, image guided core needle biopsy can be helpful in differentiating these kinds of rare diseases from more common parotid pathologies.