Sarcoidosis of the head and neck

Abstract

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease of unknown etiology, occasionally presenting with signs or symptoms that occur within the head and neck. The diagnosis may be made by a combination of histological evaluation of involved tissue, the presence of a relative cutaneous anergy, a positive Kveim test, and certain abnormal laboratory or radiographic findings. Although pulmonary sarcoidosis is by far the most common manifestation of the disease, an occasional patient will present with involvement of the nose, tonsils, larynx, or parotid gland. The otolaryngologist should include this entity in his differential diagnosis of lesions which occur in these areas.