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Twenty-nine adults (mean age, 59.9 ± 13.5 years) with scrotal tuberculosis (TB) were retrospectively analyzed. The mean interval from emergence of symptoms suggestive of scrotal TB to diagnosis established was 142.44 ± 227.66 days. Scrotal TB was initially suspected in only five (17.2%) patients, and infection caused by bacteria other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis (55.2%) was the leading presumptive diagnosis. Of 28 patients with chest radiographs available, 7 (25%) disclosed active pulmonary TB, and 9 (32.1%) showed a TB scar. All patients received anti-TB chemotherapy; 20 (69%) additionally underwent surgery. Pathologic examination of resected tissue at therapeutic surgery, biopsy, or polymerase chain reaction assay of urine led to rapid diagnosis of scrotal TB. Although evidence of scrotal TB was easily obtainable, the lack of alertness made clinicians avert from the appropriate diagnostic approaches and rendered a delayed diagnosis. Our report underscores the urgent need for improving clinicians awareness of scrotal TB.
Received March 3, 2007. Accepted for publication June 18, 2007.
* Address correspondence to Jien-Wei Liu, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, 123 Ta Pei Road, Niao Sung Hsiang, Kaohsiung Hsien 833, Taiwan. E-mail: 88b0{at}adm.cgmh.org.tw
Authors addresses: Ing-Kit Lee and Jien-Wei Liu, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taiwan. Wen-Chou Yang, Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taiwan.
Reprint requests: Jien-Wei Liu, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, 123, Ta Pei Road, Niao Sung Hsiang, Kaohsiung Hsien 833, Taiwan. E-mail: 88b0{at}adm.cgmh.org.tw.
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