[Tuberculosis of the parotid gland]. / Tuberculose de la glande parotide.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to emphasize the difficulties of diagnosing parotid gland tuberculosis because of its non specific symptoms and to incite the physician to seek it more frequently. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Six cases of parotid gland tuberculosis were diagnosed within a 4-year period and included in a retrospective study. RESULTS: There were two men and four women, mean age 45 years. Four patients underwent superficial parotidectomy with frozen section analysis which enabled us to rectify the diagnosis. Medical treatment was based on a 6-month course of bactericidal chemotherapy. Outcome was favorable in all the cases with nine months average follow. DISCUSSION: Symptoms of parotid gland are misleading, pathologic findings are of increasing importance for diagnosis, which with the new serology techniques may improve further.