Pathological differential diagnosis between Kikuchi disease and tuberculosis of lymph node

Purpose To investigate the significance of diagnosis and differential diagnosis in Kikuchi disease (KD). Methods The HE-stained sections were collected and reviewed in 31 cases of KD being primarily diagnosed, in which an etiologic assay was conducted in 20 cases. Results In the 31 cases, the diagnosis of 13 cases(41.94%) were changed into tuberculosis, and 12 cases were still kept diagnosis of KD. Conclusion Debris necrosis of lymph node is not the specific changes of KD. In the tuberculosis of lymph node, ① debris necrosis is obvious, but it tends to be caseous nercrosis; ② histiocytes, macrophages and foam cells are hyperplasia in the necrotic area or lymph sinus, moreover, epithelioid cells can be found and they tend to be form granuloma; ③ numbers of neutrophils infiltrate in the necrotic area; ④ the etiologic assay of acid fast bacterium tuberculosis bacterium is positive; ⑤ typical clinical manifestation is insufficient.