Surgical complications of cervical and mediastinal tuberculous adenitis in an infant.

An infant whose miliary tuberculosis was resolving after five months of chemotherapy developed a tuberculous cervical lymphatic abscess followed shortly thereafter by life-threatening tracheal compression from enlarged tuberculous mediastinal nodes. Both of these complications required surgical drainage. Chemotherapy alone may be ineffective in the management of lymphadenitis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.