HISTOMORPHOLOGICAL SPECTRUM OF CUTANEOUS TUBERCULOSIS IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL- A CASE SERIES

Introduction- Cutaneous tuberculosis constitutes 1-1.5% of all extra-pulmonary tuberculosis. Cutaneous tuberculosis reveals diverse clinical presentation ranging from papules, pustules, papulonecrotic, painful nodules, verrucous lesions, panniculits, plaques, ulcers, sinuses, scars and may mimic other inammatory skin diseases hence clinicopathological correlation is necessary for early diagnosis of cutaneous tuberculosis. Histopathology is gold standard for diagnosis of cutaneous tuberculosis; however ancillary tests such as Mantoux test, mycobacterial culture, gene expert studies and amplication of mycobacterial DNA by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) are necessary for conrmation of diagnosis. 1. AimsTo study clinico-pathological correlation and histological features of various morphological subtypes of cutaneous tuberculosis 2. To record incidence, age-gender distribution and common histological subtype of cutaneous tuberculosis. We studied various Material And Methods - morphological subtypes in 12 patients with strong clinical suspicion of cutaneous tuberculosis, out of 602 total skin biopsies received in histopathology department from January 2022 to December 2022. On histopathology, 3 cases of Lupus V Results- ulgaris (25%) followed by 2 cases of Lichen Scrofulosorum (16.16%), Erythema Induratum of Bazin (16.16%), Papulonecrotic Tuberculid (16.16%), Erythema Nodosum (16.16%) each and 1 case of Scrofuloderma (8.33%) were diagnosed. Incidence of cutaneous tuberculosis was found to be 1.99%. Age group of the present study ranged from 15-52 years. Most cases occurred in the age group of 20-30 years with female predominance. Most commonly involved site was the lower extremities. Cutaneous tuberculosis is an uncommon condition which is ass Conclusions- ociated with signicant morbidity. Diagnosis of cutaneous tuberculosis can be challenging due to varied clinical presentation and wide range of differential diagnoses. Early and expeditious diagnosis is important for effective management of patient.