Diagnostic and Management Guidelines of Thyroid Tuberculosis: Our Experience and Systematic Review.

Abstract

Thyroid tuberculosis has non-specific clinical presentation, difficult diagnosis and specific medical management. The aim of this article is to present and share a review of the English-language literature on thyroid tuberculosis in order to gain a better understanding of diagnostic methods and provide guidelines for its management and to present our experience of three cases. The systematic search of the literature was performed on Pubmed and Medline from 1950 to 2019 according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement. We retrieved 13 manuscripts meeting our criteria from the search. There were 7 case series, and 6 manuscripts with review of the literature. Direct histopathological demonstration is the best diagnostic modality. FNAC is the study of choice and PCR assay increases its sensitivity. The standard short course ATT for 6months is recommended for isolated thyroid TB and for widespread disease, 12months therapy is recommended. Surgery is reserved for failure of medical therapy and abscess formation.