Fine-needle extrathoracic lymph-node aspiration in HIV-associated sputum-negative tuberculosis.

HIV-associated tuberculosis is increasingly seen in Zimbabwe and other developing countries. The clinical and radiological features are often atypical, and diagnostic confusion may arise when sputum smears are negative. Patients with suspected intrathoracic tuberculosis frequently have palpable extrathoracic lymph nodes. In this study, Ziehl-Neelsen staining of aspirates from extrathoracic lymph nodes revealed acid-fast bacilli in 20 (71%) of 28 patients with suspected tuberculosis, and 20 (87%) of 23 patients in whom a final diagnosis of tuberculosis was made Aspiration is simple, rapid, and cheap and may be of value in the diagnosis of tuberculosis, especially in developing countries with limited diagnostic and therapeutic resources.