Atypical mycobacterial cervical lymphadenitis--treatment with surgery and antibiotics.

Five patients, ages 2 to 5 years, were successfully treated for cervical lymphadenitis caused by the avium intercellulari complex of atypical bacteria. Preoperative treatment with standard antituberculosis therapy had been unsuccessful. Extensive surgery requiring a conservative radical neck dissection was sometimes required. Three patients had such extensive and progressive disease that immediate excision was impossible. These patients received a course of Amikacin with considerable improvement, permitting adequate excision and reconstruction. A fourth patient who received Amikacin did not respond, although sufficient excision was possible. This preliminary data indicates that a combined treatment of Amikacin and surgery in extensive cases may be useful in the treatment of cervical lymphadenitis due to atypical mycobacteria.