Cytology of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis of Masseter Muscle: A Rare Case Report

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major health hazard Worldwide. India bears a huge burden of world's TB, according to World Health Organzation (WHO) statistics. The most common form of presentation is pulmonary tuberculosis. Extra Pulmonary presentation of TB in masseter muscle is extremely rare. We present a case of 26 year old male with right sided facial swelling, Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) of which revealed TB of masseter muscle. FNAC is a simple,cost effective out patient procedure that can aid in the early diagnosis of orofacial lesions such as extra pulmonary Tuberculosis. The purpose of this paper is to state the significance of early diagnosis of orofacial Tuberculosis and the crucial role played by FNAC in the diagnosis. Keywords:Masseter muscle, Extra pulmonary, Tuberculosis, Cytology