Imaging of tuberculosis. II. Abdominal manifestations in 112 patients.

PURPOSE: To describe the radiological findings of tuberculosis (TB) of the abdomen as reflected at our hospital.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

The radiological files of 503 patients (referred to our institution mainly because of a clinical suspicion of malignancy, and found to have culture- or biopsy-proven TB) were reviewed in order to analyze the spectrum of the TB manifestations in this group of patients.

RESULTS

Abdominal manifestations were found in 112 patients, in 1/3 abdominal disease was the only evidence of TB. More than half of the patients also had chest TB. The most common abdominal TB manifestations were peritonitis and lymph node enlargement, each occurring in about 1/3 of the patients. Also 1/3 had genitourinary TB manifestations. About 1/5 had TB of the liver, spleen or pancreas or in the gastrointestinal tract, respectively. Multiple organ involvement was common.

CONCLUSION

The need to consider TB in the differential diagnosis in patients with obscure abdominal symptoms, especially with multiple organ involvement, is stressed.