Tuberculosis Unexpectedly Presented Along Gastrointestinal Tract in Surgical Ward

Abstract

Abstract:Little is known in our country particularly in Basra about tuberculous lesions affecting the gastrointestinal tract specifically solid and hallow organs such as liver, pancreas, stomach or intestine. Hence, this study aimed to report, describe and study these cases. The current study is retrospectively studied 12 patients who got tuberculous lesions along the gastrointestinal tract over the last 2 decades in Basra General Hospital (2 of them were gastric, 3 hepatic, 3 pancreatic, 3 small intestinal; one of them affecting duodenojejunal flexure, and lastly 1 perianal sinus ulcerating the nearby skin). All those patients underwent the required surgical operations. In all those patients, TB was diagnosed postoperatively by histopathology and all of them received anti-tuberculosis triple therapy for 6 months including INH, Rifampicin and Ethambutol. A long term scheduled follow up was done showing that all of them were improved except one elderly patient with TB pancreatitis died at early postoperative period. None of these cases effected with pulmonary tuberculosis previously or concomitantly. One case of hepatic tuberculosis had cervical and intra-abdominal lymphadenopathy. It is of interest to mention that extrapulmonary TB in solid and hallow organs of gastrointestinal tract should be considered when evaluating patients with gastrointestinal presentations and lesions such as ulcer, mass, abscess or perianal fistula in endemic areas and the potential for affecting these organs (along gastrointestinal tract) should be kept in mind and accounted for.