Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease mimicking tuberculous lymphadenitis or lymphoma on fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography

Abstract

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease, also known as histiocytic lymphadenitis is a rare and benign disease characterized by regional cervical lymphadenopathy with fever of unknown origin, affecting mainly young women. We describe a case of a young Asian female who was initially misdiagnosed as having tuberculous lymphadenitis because of multiple lymphadenopathies with 18-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake on positron emission tomography/computed tomography. Final histologic diagnosis of Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease was made after excisional biopsy of the affected lymph node. The cervical lymphadenopathy has reduced in size and lung lesions disappeared after 2 months without specific treatment.