Mediastinal tuberculosis following descending necrotizing mediastinitis: A case report.

ABSTRACT

Tuberculosis is a disease that causes latent infection and is sometimes activated by a variety of factors. Descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) is a serious disease caused by spreading oropharyngeal infection. We present a case of mediastinal tuberculosis following mediastinal dissection and antibiotic therapy for DNM. A 62-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with an increasing mass in the right mediastinum during outpatient follow-up after surgical drainage and antibiotic treatment for idiopathic cervical abscess and left DNM caused by oral bacteria. The patient underwent right mediastinal abscess dissection 4 months after the last surgery. As a result of culture tests, no general bacteria but Mycobacterium tuberculosis was detected. Anti-tuberculosis treatment was continued for 9 months, and the patient has progressed without any recurrence of infection. The possibility of relapse of tuberculosis should always be considered in patients with unexplained masses.