Mycobacterial infection of the head and neck: presentation and diagnosis.

Objective: To increase the awareness of the different presentations of head and neck mycobacteriosis, especially in apparently immunocompetent patients, and discuss its diagnostic difficulties.

Study Design: A retrospective analysis from an otolaryngology service in a university hospital.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of head and neck mycobacterial infections diagnosed at King Abdul Aziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between 1983 and 1997.

Pai syndrome: a report of a case and review of the literature.

Pai syndrome is a rare congenital disorder first described in 1987. The main clinical features of the syndrome include median cleft of the upper lip, intra-cranial lipoma, and cutaneous polyps. Only four cases have been described previously.

Pharyngeal tuberculosis.

Purpose: To increase awareness of tuberculosis (TB) as an important differential diagnosis of lesions in the pharynx and discuss its presentation.

Patients And Methods: The study included nine patients (2 males and 7 females); each with a diagnosis of primary pharyngeal tuberculosis (PTB). Of these, 3 had nasopharyngeal TB, 5 had tonsillar TB, and 1 had hypopharyngeal TB.

Association of rhinoscleroma with rhinosporidiosis.

Rhinoscleroma caused by the bacillus Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis and rhinosporidiosis caused by the fungus Rhinosporidium seebri are rare, specific nasal infections, both of which have a certain geographical distribution. To the best of our knowledge no association between them has been reported in the international literature. We have documented such an association in two male Indian patients aged-32 and 27 years, respectively-both presenting with unilateral blood-stained discharge and nasal blockage.