Type:
Educational Exhibit
Keywords:
Infection, Diagnostic procedure, Ultrasound, MR, CT, Abdomen
Authors:
E. Rosado, D. Penha, P. Paixao, A. M. D. Costa; Amadora/PT
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2013/C-0549
Background
Although manifestations of tuberculosis are usually limited to the chest,
the disease can affect any organ.
Classically,
pulmonary tuberculosis is divided in primary and post-primary infection.
However there is considerable overlap in the radiological manifestations of these two entities.
Post-primary tuberculosis results from reactivation of a previous dormant primary infection.
It is almost exclusively a disease of adolescence and adulthood.
Post-primary tuberculosis may appear as parenchymal,
airway or pleural disease as well as it can affect other organs outside the thorax.
Abdominal organs are usually affected after ingestion of infected material such as sputum or by haematogenous or lymphatic dissemination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Clinical manifestations of abdominal disease are unspecific and depend on the organs involved.
It often course with abdominal pain and distension,
low grade fever,
anorexia and weight-loss.
Diarrhoea is usually present when the gastro-intestinal tract is affected.
Abdominal tuberculosis is an uncommon condition in most western-countries,
but there has been a resurgence of the disease,
associated with AIDS epidemics and migratory fluxes.
In our institution tuberculosis is a common disease,
probably due to the disfavoured social environment and elevated number of African and Asian immigrants living in the area.
Over a period of two years (July 2010 to July 2012),
14 patients with abdominal tuberculosis were diagnosed in our institution.
They had a median age of 42 years,
50% were men,
8 were African or Asian immigrants and 6 were HIV positive.