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Case Reports
. 2011 Jul;28(3):141-3.
doi: 10.4103/0970-9371.83477.

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

Ankit Seth  1 , Madhur Kudesia, Kusum Gupta, Leela Pant, Anjali Mathur
Affiliations
Case Reports

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

Ankit Seth et al. J Cytol. 2011 Jul.

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.

Keywords: Genital tuberculosis; Pap smear; menopausal.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Tuberculous granulomas in Pap smear (Pap, × 400); (b) Langhans’ giant cell (Pap, × 400)
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Tuberculous endometritis (H and E, × 100); (b) Tuberculous cervicitis (H and E, × 400)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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