[A suppurating parasternal swelling]. / Een pussende zwelling naast het sternum.

A 94-year-old man with a history of colon cancer presented to the emergency department with a painful, suppurating, parasternal swelling. The swelling had been present for more than a year and its size had increased over time. However, previous diagnostic tests (CT, MRI and cytological punctures) had not led to a diagnosis. Upon inquiry, the patient told that in 1945, he was admitted to a sanatorium because of pulmonary tuberculosis. A positive culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis confirmed the diagnosis of reactivation of tuberculosis, after which the patient was effectively treated with tuberculostatics.