Greater auricular nerve masquerading as lymph node

Abstract

Hansen′s disease is on the verge of being eliminated from India and often missed by clinicians due to low index of suspicion. We present an unusual case in which greater auricular nerve thickening masqueraded as enlarged lymph node in the neck. The patient was referred for fine needle aspiration cytology, which revealed epithelioid cell granulomas suggestive of Hansen′s disease. Further clinical examination and investigations including the skin biopsy confirmed the disease, highlighting the role of pathologist in the management of such unusual presentation of a common disease.

Keywords

• e0 pithelioid cell granuloma; fine needle aspiration cytology; greater auricular nerve; Hansen′s disease