[A painful swelling of the tongue].
A 45-year-old patient had a progressive ulcer of the tongue. Routine examination, including a biopsy was not conclusive and could not entirely rule out a malignancy. The final diagnosis was made after generalised lesions developed, after which specific serological tests confirmed the diagnosis 'syphilis'. The patient was treated with benzathinbenzylpenicillin and his complaints disappeared. In view of the increasing incidence of syphilis this disease remains an important consideration in case of ulcerative or other lesions in the oral cavity.
VU Medisch Centrum, afd. Keel-, Neus- en Oorheelkunde en Hoofd-Halschirurgie, Postbus 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam.
X H
XH
de Vries
M D
MD
Njoo
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R
de Bree
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001706:Biopsy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010400:Penicillin G / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013587:Syphilis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D014059:Tongue / Q000473:pathology*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010400:Penicillin G