Cytodiagnosis and pitfalls of genital tuberculosis: A report of two cases

Abstract

Genital tuberculosis is fairly common in Indian women due to high prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in the general population. Histopathological diagnosis is invaluable but often, diagnosis can be made with reasonable accuracy by Papanicolaou (Pap) smear test if the index of suspicion is kept high. Also, genital tuberculosis is considered to be more common in patients less than 40 years of age and rare after menopause. We describe two cases of cervical tuberculosis in patients over 40 years of age, including a postmenopausal case, diagnosed by smear tests and later confirmed by histopathology and bacteriology. The differential diagnoses as well as problems encountered in the diagnosis of a tuberculous lesion in Pap smears are also discussed.

Retained fetal bones: An unusual cause of granulomatous reaction on papanicolaou smear

“…The incidence of tuberculosis has increased recently, and therefore, abnormal Pap smear characterized by the presence of epithelioid cells and Langhans type of giant cells evokes a high index of suspicion of genital tuberculosis, especially in an endemic country like India. [ 1 ] However, other causes of granulomatous cervicitis should be considered and ruled out.…”

“…C ervical Papanicolaou (Pap) smear plays an important role in diagnosing tuberculosis by noninvasive technique in which the presence of epithelioid cells and Langhans type of giant cells is considered diagnostic of this disease. [ 1 ] However, in the presence of granulomatous inflammation, other causes of granulomatous cervicitis should also be considered and ruled out. [ 2 ]…”

Anal cytology screening: An aid to diagnose tuberculosis infection in HIV/AIDS

“…[ 6 ] There are handful of reports on tuberculosis detected on cervical cytology in females. [ 7 8 ] To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of anal tuberculosis diagnosed in men by liquid-based cytology.…”

Genitourinary Tuberculosis: An Atypical Clinical Presentation

“…Genitourinary TB is one of the common forms of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, which affects 12% of patients with pulmonary TB [2]. It is more common in women less than 40 years of age and rarely occurs in postmenopausal [3]. We report a case of atypical genitourinary: massive uterovaginal prolapse with cervical lesion mimicking cervical carcinoma.…”