Peripancreatic tuberculous lymphadenopathy. An impostor posing diagnostic difficulty.
BACKGROUND
Involvement of the peripancreatic lymph nodes by tuberculosis is rare and the clinical presentation varies. It can mimic cystic neoplasms of the pancreas.


METHODS
We report the case of a patient having peripancreatic tuberculosis who presented with fever, jaundice, supraclavicular lymphadenopathy and weight loss. Imaging and tumor markers also suggested a pancreatic malignancy. MRI helped to identify the peripancreatic lymph node involvement and biopsy of the supraclavicular lymph node clinched the diagnosis.


CONCLUSIONS
Pancreatic and peripancreatic tuberculosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cystic lesions of the head of the pancreas.
Cherian
Jijo Velliyappillil
JV
Department of Gastroenterology, Stanley Medical College, Chennai, India. drjijovc@yahoo.co.in
Somasundaram
Aravindh
A
Ponnusamy
Rajesh Prabhu
RP
Venkataraman
Jayanthi
J
D000328:Adult; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D019160:Endosonography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014388:Tuberculosis, Lymph Node / Q000175:diagnosis*