Laryngeal tuberculosis.

ABSTRACT

Laryngeal tuberculosis has recently decreased in number and infectivity. To evaluate the changing patterns, we reviewed 14 patients who were diagnosed as laryngeal tuberculosis seen at Department of Otolaryngology, Siriraj Hospital, during the 5 year period, from 1 January 1982 to 31 December 1986. The results showed 10 male and 4 female patients, aged 34-84 years with an average of 58.7 years. The common presenting symptom was hoarsest of voice (52.6%), with a mean duration of 2.8 months. The most common site in the larynx was the vocal cord, in about 40% of the cases. The lesions were mass like lesions and there normal vocal cord movement in about 50%. Nearly all of the patients (92.9%) had pulmonary tuberculosis in their chest x-ray, but only a few had active or infective lesions in previous reports. The finding of acid fast bacilli in pathological section was 50%.