Mikio Kusama

Tuberculosis of the tongue. A case report with immunologic study.

A case of tuberculosis of the tongue in a 59-year-old woman with active pulmonary tuberculosis is described. The lingual tuberculosis was considered to be a secondary infection from the pulmonary disease, but the oral lesions were, in fact, noticed prior to recognition of the pulmonary lesion. This case was marked by a multiplicity or oral lesions arising on the bilateral surfaces of the tongue. Immunologic investigation revealed that cell-mediated immune responses in the patient were within the normal range in terms of the PPD skin test, DNCB skin test, lymphocyte transformation test, and subpopulation of the peripheral blood lymphocytes. Rosette-forming assay on the frozen sections disclosed that T-lymphocytes and macrophages were predominant in the lymphoid cells infiltrating the tuberculous lesion.

Usefulness of CT images for diagnosis of odontogenic maxillary sinusitis

To assess the usefulness of CT images for the diagnosis of suspected odontogenic maxillary sinusitis, 52 patients with maxillary sinusitis who had received CT examination were retrospectively analyzed. maxillary sinus ostium was established on coronal CT image in 20 out of 55 lesions in those 52 patients. However, a considerable number of patients who had inflammatory disease not only in the maxillary sinus but also in other paranasal sinuses (38/55) or in the nasal meatus (34/55) were included in those 52 patients. Concerning the opening of the ostium, the clinical diagnosis is frequently different from the diagnosis made using CT. The CT findings of the maxillary sinus ostium, nasal meatus and other paranasal sinuses were thus important in planning the treatment for patients with maxillary sinusitis in dentistry, as in otorhinolaryngology.