A 44‐year experience with tuberculous enterocolitis

Abstract

Thirty‐one eases of intestinal tuberculosis, diagnosed from 1932 through 1975 at The New York Hospital‐Cornell Medical Center, were reviewed with particular reference to the impact of antituberculous chemotherapy on the outcome of the disease and to the role of surgery in diagnosis and treatment. The chest X‐ray was 90% effective in demonstrating evidence of tuberculosis in this series. However, since even on gross examination differentiation of intestinal tuberculosis from Crohn's disease or neoplasia may be impossible, surgical exploration is indicated when diagnosis is in doubt and biopsy and culture of intra‐abdominal tissue should be performed for diagnostic purposes. The importance of instituting immediate therapy is emphasized by a 67% mortality rate in the prestreptomycin era and a 21% mortality rate in patients receiving appropriate drug therapy. Because of the success of chemotherapy, intestinal resection is seldom indicated, except in those cases in which scarring and stricture formation demand surgical relief of intestinal obstruction, or in which the complications of fistula, hemorrhage, or perforation may occur.

Tuberculous bowel obstruction at a university teaching hospital in Northwestern Tanzania: a surgical experience with 118 cases

“…Some workers report that the disease is more common in males in the western countries while in developing counties the females predominate [28]. We could not find in literature the reasons for this gender differences.…”

Tuberculosis of the Gastrointestinal Tract in Bradford, 1967–77

“…We agree with Homan et al (1977) that 'surgical exploration is indicated in patients in whom the diagnosis is in doubt'. Even when laparotomy has been performed, the ultimate diagnosis may only be achieved after histological and bacteriological study.…”

Critical ventriculo-peritoneal shunt failure due to peritoneal tuberculosis: Case report and diagnostic suggestions for abdominal pseudocyst

“…While TBP is a relatively rare type of TB infection in industrialized countries (and thus extremely rare in patients with CSF shunts), it is still a common infection in many regions of the world, and delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis can be fatal. [2] TBP usually yields lower bacterial counts, and both the clinical and radiological features are nonspecific,[67121626] making it one of the most difficult forms of TB to correctly diagnose. This is especially true in patients without obvious risk factors, such as exposure to TB, cirrhosis, alcoholism, renal failure with peritoneal dialysis, diabetes mellitus, malignancy, immunosuppressive medication (e.g.…”