Computerised Tomography in the Diagnosis of Abdominal Tuberculosis

Tariq A Mir; Mir Nadeem; Mir Waseem; Gh Hussain Mir; Muzaffar Mushtaq; Sajad Ahmad Bhat

Volume : VI, Issue : XII, December - 2017

Computerised Tomography in the Diagnosis of Abdominal Tuberculosis

Tariq A Mir, Mir Nadeem, Mir Waseem, Gh Hussain Mir, Muzaffar Mushtaq, Sajad Ahmad Bhat

Abstract :

� Introduction: Tuberculosis continues to be a major health problem in the developing world even to this day. While the developed world was close to eradication of this disease, certain factors lead to the reappearance of this dreadful disease in the western world. Issues like immigration from endemic areas, increased prevalence of immunosuppression, and emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis have led to the realisation that tuberculosis continues to be a healthcare challenge in the developed world [1-6 ]. Extrapulmonary disease occurs in 27-49% of all reported cases of tuberculosis in developed countries, and the abdomen is the most common extra thoracic site of infection.[2,3,7 ] Concurrent active pulmonary involvement occurred in 36-47% of patients with abdominal disease.[1,8,9] The genesis of abdominal tuberculosis finds its origin from various sources a) reactivation of a latent focus in abdomen which was formed during the primary infection b) haematogenous or lymphatic spread from current active tuberculosis c) ingestion of the pathogen, or d) by direct extension from adjacent involved tissues. [10] Abdominal tuberculosis can be asymptomatic or cause non-specific symptoms such as weight loss, abdominal pain, fever, abdominal distension, vomiting, diarrhoea, and anorexia.[8] Definitive diagnosis can only be established by showing caseating granulomas, positive acid-fast bacillus, culture for M. tuberculosis, or a positive polymerase chain reaction. There usually is a delay in diagnosis arising both, from the patient and the physician leading to significant morbidity and mortality. [9,11,12,13]