[ case report of kikuchi's disease]

Kikuchi's disease is a necrotizing lymphadenitis that is prevalent in Japan and is being increasingly recognized in other areas of the world. It usually occurs in women in their late 20s or early 30s and manifests as a posterior cervical adenopathy. It resolves spontaneously, usually over a period of several weeks to 6 months. Its initial clinical appearance is commonly similar to that of a lymphoma, and it can be pathologically misdiagnosed as such. We report a case of Kikuchi's disease that occurred in a 51-year-old Iranian woman. We discuss the clinical features, differential diagnosis, and pathology of this case in an effort to assist otolaryngologists in diagnosing this benign and uncommon entity