목적: The whole-blood interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) has been studied mainly for diagnosing latent tuberculosis (TB). We prospectively evaluated its diagnostic usefulness in patients with suspected cervical TB lymphadenitis. 방법:An IGRA was performed in subjects with suspected TB lymphadenitis. To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the IGRA, we calculated the sensitivity and specificity of culture, radiologic imaging, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, fine needle aspiration, and excisional biopsy. 결과:Of the 271 adult patients with suspected TB lymphadenitis, 42 were diagnosed with the disease. The overall sensitivity and specificity of the IGRA were 78.8% and 95.5%, respectively. When the cut-off value of IFN-gamma was set to 0.26 IU/mL, it met the inclusion criteria for suspicious TB lymphadenitis with a sensitivity and specificity of 83.3% and 95.1%, respectively. 결론:The IGRA is useful in diagnosing TB lymphadenitis, with a high sensitivity and specificity.