Tuberculous peritonitis complicated by an intraperitoneal tuberculous abscess: A case report

BACKGROUND Tuberculous peritonitis(TBP)is a chronic,diffuse inflammation of the peritoneum caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.The route of infection can be by direct spread of intraperitoneal tuberculosis(TB)or by hematogenous dissemination.The former is more common,such as intestinal TB,mesenteric lymphatic TB,fa-llopian tube TB,etc.,and can be the direct primary lesion of the disease.CASE SUMMARY We present an older male patient with TBP complicated by an abdominal mass.The patient's preoperative symptoms,signs and imaging data suggested a poss-ible abdominal tumor.After surgical treatment,the patient's primary diagnosis of TBP complicating an intraperitoneal tuberculous abscess was established by com-bining past medical history,postoperative pathology,and positive results of TB-related laboratory tests.The patient's symptoms were significantly reduced after surgical treatment,and he was discharged from the hospital with instructions to continue treatment at a TB specialist hospital and to undergo anti-TB treatment if necessary.CONCLUSION This case report analyses the management of TBP complicated by intraperitoneal tuberculous abscess and highlights the importance of early definitive diagnosis in the hope of improving the clinical management of this type of disease.

Perianal tuberculous ulcer with active pulmonary,intestinal and orificial tuberculosis:A case report

BACKGROUND Orificial tuberculosis is a rare type of tuberculosis,which is easy to be misdiagnosed,and can cause great damage to the perianal skin and mucosa.Early diagnosis can avoid further erosion of the perianal muscle tissue by tuberculosis bacteria.CASE SUMMARY Here,we report a case of disseminated tuberculosis in a 62-year-old male patient with a perianal tuberculous ulcer and active pulmonary tuberculosis,intestinal tuberculosis and orificial tuberculosis.This is an extremely rare case of cutaneous tuberculosis of the anus,which was misdiagnosed for nearly a year.The patient received conventional treatment in other medical institutions,but specific treatment was delayed.Ultimately,proper diagnosis and treatment with standard anti-tuberculosis drugs for one year led to complete cure.CONCLUSION For skin ulcers that do not heal with repeated conventional treatments,consider ulcers caused by rare bacteria,such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Research Progress of microRNA in the Diagnosis of Tuberculous Pleurisy

Tuberculosis has become a major public health and social problem threatening human health, and a large proportion of pulmonary tuberculosis patients are associated with tuberculous pleurisy (TP). Therefore, it is of great significance to find markers with high specificity and sensitivity for the rapid and accurate diagnosis and differential diagnosis of TP under the severe background of high infectivity and mortality due to the occult nature of TP. The extraction of microRNA (miRNA) from pleural effusion satisfies the characteristics of strong operability. miRNA exists not only in cells, but also in various body fluids and participates in the pathophysiological process of various diseases including infectious diseases. miRNA is a highly specific biomarker in pleural fluid in patients with TP. Therefore, this article provides a review of the research progress of mRNA in tuberculous pleurisy.

Co-infection with Neisseria mucosa in a patient with tuberculous otitis media

Tuberculous otitis media(TOM) is a rare manifestation caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis with low incidence rates among extrapulmonary tuberculosis cases. Diagnosis is often delayed because of the presence of several clinical manifestations and the high prevalence of secondary bacterial infections. Few reports have attributed secondary bacterial infections in patients with TOM to commensal Neisseria. Thus, understanding the pathogenic mechanisms and clinical features of commensal Neisseria is important, considering its recent presentation as an infection-causing pathogen. Neisseria mucosa is a commensal inhabitant in humans and is generally considered non-pathogenic but can cause infection in rare cases. Here, we report an atypical secondary infection caused by Neisseria mucosa in an 81-year-old woman with TOM being treated for pulmonary tuberculosis. Direct purulent otorrhea smear microscopy revealed no acid-fast bacilli using Ziehl-Neelsen staining, whereas the phagocytosis of gram-negative cocci by white blood cells was confirmed using Gram staining. Otorrhea culture revealed the growth of N. mucosa. Subsequently, M. tuberculosis infection in the otorrhea was identified using a culture-based method. Vigilance is critical for the early detection of TOM to prevent further complications. This report raises awareness regarding TOM and provides insight into the pathogenicity of N. mucosa in otitis media.

Assessing the Impact of General Anesthesia and Bronchial Intubation in Conjunction with Thoracic Paravertebral Nerve Block on Cellular Immunity and Surgical Management in Tuberculous Pyothorax Patients

Objective:This study aims to investigate the impact of combining general anesthesia with bronchial intubation and thoracic paravertebral nerve block during surgery for patients with tuberculous pyothorax.Methods:Eighty patients diagnosed with tuberculous pyothorax,admitted to the hospital between January 2023 and September 2023,were randomly selected for this study.The patients were divided into control and study groups using a numerical table method.The control group underwent general anesthesia with bronchial intubation,while the study group received general anesthesia with bronchial intubation in conjunction with thoracic paravertebral nerve block.Subsequently,the patients were monitored to assess mean arterial pressure,heart rate variations,and adverse reactions to anesthesia.Results:The study group exhibited significantly lower mean arterial pressure and heart rate levels during the post-surgical incision,immediate end of surgery,and immediate extubation periods compared to the control group(P<0.05).Furthermore,the Ricker and Ramsay scores in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:The combined use of general anesthesia via bronchial intubation and thoracic paravertebral nerve block has been found to stabilize mean arterial pressure and heart rate while providing effective sedation for surgical treatment in patients with tuberculous septic thorax.

Diagnosis of tuberculous uveitis by the macrogenome of intraocular fluid:A case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND Tuberculous uveitis caused by tuberculosis infection factors is common,but tuberculous uveitis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis found in the intraocular fluid is rare.This report describes the use of intraocular fluid in the diagnosis of tuberculous uveitis in a patient and reviews the relevant literature.CASE SUMMARY A 24-year-old woman who was 31-wk pregnant visited Hebei Chest Hospital due to intermittent chest pain,fever,and decreased vision for 3 mo.The hydrothorax test suggested“tuberculous pleurisy”,and yellow effusion was extracted from the chest tube twice resulting in a total volume of approximately 800 mL.The patient chose to continue the pregnancy without treatment,and was hospitalized again due to high fever.Following 2 mo of anti-tuberculosis treatment,a healthy boy was delivered by cesarean section.Tuberculous uveitis was diagnosed using tuberculosis Xpert,and intraocular infection was detected by second-generation gene sequencing.Following systemic treatment,the patient gradually improved,and the corrected visual acuity of the left eye gradually increased from 0.08 to 1.0.CONCLUSION The etiology of uveitis is complex,and it is necessary to assess the patient’s general condition and apply molecular biology methods to determine the pathogenesis and guide precise treatment,to improve clinicians’awareness and standardize treatment of the disease.

Diagnostic Utility of Interferon-Gamma Release Assay in Tuberculous Lymphadenitis

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of T-SPOT.TB for tuberculous lymphadenitis.Methods Suspected tuberculous lymphadenitis patients between September 2010 and September 2018 who had both peripheral blood T-SPOT.TB test and lymph node biopsy were retrospectively enrolled in this study.The cutoff value of T-SPOT.TB test for peripheral blood was set as 24 spot forming cell(SFC)/106 periphreral blood monocyte cell(PBMC)according to the instruction of testing kits.The gold standard for diagnosis of TBL was the combination of microbiology results,histopathology results and patient's response to anti-TB treatment.Diagnostic efficacy of T-SPOT.TB was evaluated,including sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,predictive values,and likelihood ratio.Results Among 91 patients who met the inclusion criteria,we excluded 8 cases with incomplete clinical information and 6 cases who lost to follow-up.According to the gold standard,there were 37 cases of true TBL(9 confirmed TBL and 28 probable TBL),30 cases of non-TBL,and 10 cases of clinically indeterminate diagnosis who were excluded from the final analyses.The T-SPOT.TB tests yielded 43 cases of positive response and 24 cases of negative response.The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,positive predictive value(PPV),negative predictive value(NPV),positive likelihood ratio(PLR)and negative likelihood ratio(NLR)of peripheral blood T-SPOT.TB for diagnosing TBL were 89.2%,66.7%,79.1%,76.7%,83.3%,2.68 and 0.16,respectively.The number of SFCs of T-SPOT.TB in TBL patients[432(134-1264)/106 PBMCs]was higher than that in non-TBL patients[0(0-30)/106 PBMCs]with a significant difference(Z=-5.306,P<0.001).Conclusion T-SPOT.TB is a rapid and simple diagnostic test for TBL with a high sensitivity and negative predictive value.

Assessment by meta-analysis of interferon-gamma for the diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis

AIM:To investigate the performance and diagnostic accuracy of interferon-gamma(IFN-γ) for tuberculous peritonitis(TBP) by meta-analysis.METHODS:A systematic search of English language studies was performed.We searched the following electronic databases:MEDLINE,EMBASE,Web of Science,BIOSIS,LILACS and the Cochrane Library.The Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy initiative and Quality Assessment for Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy tool were used to assess the methodological quality of the studies.Sensitivity,specificity,and other measures of the accuracy of IFN-γ concentration in the diagnosis of peritoneal effusion were pooled using random-effects models.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curves were applied to summarize overall test performance.Two reviewers independently judged study eligibility while screening the citations.RESULTS:Six studies met the inclusion criteria.The average inter-rater agreement between the two reviewers for items in the quality checklist was 0.92.Analysis of IFN-γ level for TBP diagnosis yielded a summary estimate:sensitivity,0.93(95%CI,0.87-0.97);specificity,0.99(95%CI,0.97-1.00);positive likelihood ratio(PLR),41.49(95%CI,18.80-91.55);negative likelihood ratio(NLR),0.11(95%CI,0.06-0.19);and diagnostic odds ratio(DOR),678.02(95%CI,209.91-2190.09).χ 2 values of the sensitivity,specificity,PLR,NLR and DOR were 5.66(P = 0.3407),6.37(P = 0.2715),1.38(P = 0.9265),5.46(P = 0.3621) and 1.42(P = 0.9220),respectively.The summary receiver ROC curve was positioned near the desirable upper left corner and the maximum joint sensitivity and specificity was 0.97.The area under the curve was 0.99.The evaluation of publication bias was not significant(P = 0.922).CONCLUSION:IFN-γ may be a sensitive and specific marker for the accurate diagnosis of TBP.The level of IFN-γ may contribute to the accurate differentiation of tuberculosis(TB) ascites from non-TB ascites.

Diagnostic Value of Cerebrospinal Fluid T-SPOT.TB for Tuberculousis Meningitis in China

The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of the cerebrospinal fluid（CSF） T‐SPOT.TB test for the diagnosis of TB meningitis（TBM）. A retrospective analysis of 96 patients with manifested meningitis was conducted; T‐SPOT.TB test was performed for diagnosing TBM to determine the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value（PPV）, and negative predictive value（NPV）. A receiver operating characteristic（ROC） curve was also drawn to assess the diagnostic accuracy. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of CSF T‐SPOT.TB test were 97.8%, 78.0%, 80.3%, and 97.5%, respectively, for 52 patients（54.2%） of the 96 enrolled patients. The area under the curve（AUC） was 0.910, and the sensitivities of CSF T‐SPOT.TB for patients with stages I, II, and III of TBM were 96.7%, 97.2%, and 98.9%, respectively. CSF T‐SPOT.TB test is a rapid and accurate diagnostic method with higher sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing TBM.

Clinical Value of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Combined with Interferon-γ in Diagnosing Malignant Pleural Effusion and Tuberculous Pleural Effusion

In order to investigate the clinical value of vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） combined with interferon-γ （IFN-γ） in diagnosing malignant pleural effusion and tuberculous pleural effusion, 42 cases of malignant pleural effusion and 45 cases of tuberculous pleural effusion in Tongji Hospital, from March 2004 to May 2005, were included, The carcinoembryonic antigen （CEA）, VEGF and IFN-γ levels of pleural effusion were detected by using ELISA, and adenosine deaminase （ADA） activity was determined by using enzyme kinetic analytical method. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and area under the curve （AUCR^ROC） of CEA and VEGF, VEGF/IFN-γ ratio, ADA and IFN-γ were measured by receiver operating characteristic curve （ROC）, The results showed that CEA, VEGF levels and VEGF/IFN-γ ratio were significantly higher and the ADA and IFN-γ levels were significantly lower in malignant group than those in tuberculous group （P〈0,01）, The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and AUCR^ROC of VEGF/IFN-γ ratio （88,7%, 99,8%, 94,4%, 0.96 respectively） were higher than those of CEA （67.8%, 96.1%, 82,4%, 0.78 respectively） and VEGF （81,5%, 84,3%, 82.9%, 0.79 respectively）. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and AUCR^ROC of IFN-γ （85.7%, 96,4%, 90.9%, 0.94 respectively） were higher than those of ADA （80,2%, 87,6%, 83.8%, 0,81 respectively）. It was concluded that VEGF/IFN-γ ratio and IFN-γ could be used as valuable parameters for the differential diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion and tuberculous pleural effusion.

Hepatic segmentectorny for treatment of hepatic tuberculous pseudotumor

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to explore the preoperative diagnosis and surgical modality of patients with hepatic tuberculous pseudotumor. METHODS: Of 682 patients who had undergone liver resection from January 1988 to December 2004, 8 were confirmed pathologically as having hepatic tuberculous pseudo-tumor after operation. Their clinical features, laboratory findings, results of preoperative imaging and surgical modality of the 8 patients were analyzed. RESULTS: In these patients,5 were misinterpreted as having other types of liver tumor and 3 were confirmed as having liver tuberculous pseudotumor preoperatively. All the 8 patients underwent hepatic segmentectomy and local hepatic resection. Seven had no tumor recurrence after follow-up for 4 years. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic tuberculous pseudotumor was highly suspected for the patients with hepatic occupying-space lesions who had a history of tuberculosis. Fine needle aspiration liver biopsy guided by B-mode ultrasound and CT scan could confirm the diagnosis. They are of vital importance in the pathological diagnosis of the tumor. Therapeutic modalities included all kinds of hepatic segmentectomy and postoperative administration of antituberculous agents for the enhancement of the therapeutic effects.

Cochlear implant challenges encountered in tuberculous otitis media

Tuberculous otitis media(TOM) is rare in ENT department,and is frequently misdiagnosed as otitis media.Thus early systemic treatment is very important for TOM.We reported a case report with TOM to highlight development of the disease and difficulties in clinical treatment in late stage of TOM.Implantation of ossified and eroded cochlea poses many unique challenges to both the surgeon and programming learn.With thorough preparation and complete knowledge about characters of specific issues,implantation would be performed successfully,and patients with ossified cochlear could benefit from cochlear implantation.

Adenosine deaminase isoenzymes estimation - as a diagnostic tool for tuberculous pleural effusions

Objective:To assess the efficacy of ADA isoenzyme estimation over that of total ADA level in pleural fluid and serum as a more efficient diagnostic indicator in tuberculous pleural effusions in high prevalence country like India.Methods:The efficacy was analysed in total thirty four patients of pleural effusions.Total ADA was estimated by Guitsi and Galanti Calorimetric method and ADA isoenzymes with and without EHNA[Erythro-9-（2- hydroxy-3-nonyl） adenine]a potent ADA1 inhibitor using the same method.Results:The results demonstrated a statistically significant values of ADA2 in serum（P【0.001）,pleural fluid（P = 0.000） and significant value for the ratio of pleural fluid ADA2/serum ADA2（P【0.001） and pleural fluid ADA/ADA(2（P【0. 005）.The sensitivity and specificity values of pleural fluid ADA|2 is 81.8%and 91.6%（cut off value 60 IU/L for Tuberculous effusions）,serum ADA2 95.4%and 66%（cut off value 70 IU/L for tuberculous effusions）. ADA2 is an isoenzyme,which is significantly raised in tuberculous pleural effusions both in the serum and pleural fluid.Conclusion:Estimation of ADA isoenzymes is redundant as a diagnostic aid over total ADA estimation in view of the limited improvements both in specificity and sensitivity patterns and also in term of cost-benefit ratio.

Role of ascites adenosine deaminase in differentiating between tuberculous peritonitis and peritoneal carcinomatosis

AIM： To investigate the usefulness of tumor markers and adenosine deaminase in differentiating between tuberculous peritonitis （TBP） and peritoneal carcinoma- tosis （PC）. METHODS： A retrospective analysis of data was per- formed on consecutive patients who underwent perito- neoscopic and abdominal computed tomography （CT） evaluations. Among 75 patients at the Seoul National University Hospital from January 2000 to June 2010 who underwent both tests, 27 patients （36.0%） and 25 patients （33.3%） were diagnosed with TBP and PC, re- spectively. Diagnosis was confirmed by peritoneoscopic biopsy. RESULTS： Serum c-reactive protein （7.88：1：6.62 mg/ dL vs 3.12 ＋ 2.69 mg/dL, P = 0.01）, ascites adenos- ine deaminase （66.76：1：32.09 IU/L vs 13.89 ：l： 8.95 IU/L, P 〈 0.01）, ascites lymphocyte proportion （67.77 ：1： 23.41% vs 48.36 ＋ 18.78%, P 〈 0.01）, and serum- ascites albumin gradient （0.72 ＋ 0.49 g/dL vs 1.05 ＋ 0.50 g/dL, P = 0.03） were significantly different be- tween the two groups. Among tumor markers, serum and ascites carcinoembryonic antigen, serum carbohy- drate antigen 19-9 showed significant difference be- tween two groups. Abdominal CT examinations showed that smooth involvement of the parietal peritoneum was more common in the TBP group （77.8% vs 40.7%） whereas nodular involvement was more common in the PC group （14.8% vs 40.7%, P = 0.04）. From receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curves ascites adeno- sines deaminase （ADA） showed better discriminative capability than tumor markers. An ADA cut-off level of 21 IU/L was found to yield the best results of differ- ential diagnosis; sensitivity, specificity, positive predic- tive value, and negative predictive value were 92.0%, 85.0%, 88.5% and 89.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION： Besides clinical and radiologic findings, ascitic fluid ADA measurement is helpful in the differen- tial diagnosis of TBP and PC.

Levels of soluble delta-like ligand 1 in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of tuberculous meningitis patients

In this study, the levels of soluble delta-like ligand 1 in cerebmspinal fluid and serum of 50 patients with tuberculous meningitis, 30 patients with viral meningitis, 20 patients with purulent meningitis and 40 subjects without central nervous system disease were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mean levels of soluble delta-like ligand 1 in both cerebrospinal fluid and serum from patients with tuberculous meningitis were significantly higher compared with those from patients with viral meningitis or purulent meningitis or from subjects without central nervous system disease. Meanwhile, the level of soluble delta-like ligand 1 gradually decreased as tuberculous meningitis patients recovered. If patients deteriorated after treatment, the level of soluble delta-like ligand 1 in cerebrospinal fluid gradually increased. There was no correlation between the level of soluble delta-like ligand 1 and the protein level/cell number in cerebrospinal fluid. Our findings indicate that the levels of soluble delta-like ligand 1 in cerebrospinal fluid and serum are reliable markers for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis and for monitoring treatment progress. At the same time, this index is not influenced by protein levels or cell numbers in cerebrospinal fluid.

Mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis presenting as an esophageal intramural tumor: A very rare but important cause for dysphagia

Dysphagia associated with esophageal mechanical obstruction is usually related to malignant esophageal diseases. Benign lesions are rarely a cause for this type of dysphagia, and usually occur either as an intramural tumor or as an extrinsic compression. Mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis is rare in adults, and even more rarely causes dysphagia. We report two cases of dysphagia in adult patients caused by mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis, presenting radiologicaUy and endoscopically as an esophageal submucosal tumor. Based on the clinical and imaging diagnosis, the patients underwent a right thoracotomy, and excision of the mass attached to and compressing the esophagus. Pathological examination of the specimens showed a chronic granulomatous inflammation with caseous necrosis, which was consistent with tuberculous lymphadenitis.

Concurrent tuberculous transverse myelitis and asymptomatic neurosyphilis:A case report

BACKGROUND Tuberculous myelitis is a rare manifestation of tuberculosis(TB)that is usually caused by hematogenous spread of Mycobacterium tuberculosis(MTB).Neurosyphilis is a neurological disease that occurs when Treponema pallidum invades the brain or the spinal cord.Individually,these two diseases involving the spinal cord are rare and cases of concurrent tuberculous transverse myelitis and asymptomatic neurosyphilis have seldom been reported.CASE SUMMARY A 56-year-old man presented with numbness and pain of both lower limbs for 2 wk and dysuria for 1 wk.Syphilis serology and cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)analysis supported the diagnosis of neurosyphilis and the patient was treated with intravenous ceftriaxone at first,but symptoms still progressed.Then,magnetic resonance images revealed multiple lesions along the cervicothoracic junction,and chest computed tomography showed a typical TB lesion.MTB DNA was detected in the CSF sample by metagenomic next-generation sequencing.Eventually the patient was diagnosed with tuberculous myelitis combined with asymptomatic neurosyphilis.Subsequently,quadruple anti-TB drug standardized therapy was empirically used and his neurological symptoms improved gradually.CONCLUSION Patients can have coinfection with tuberculous transverse myelitis and asymptomatic neurosyphilis.Patients with neurosyphilis should be examined for other pathogens.

Interferon-gamma release assays in tuberculous uveitis:a comprehensive review

·Tuberculous uveitis(TBU)comprises a broad clinical spectrum of ocular manifestations,making its diagnosis challenging.Ophthalmologists usually require evidence from investigations to confirm or support a clinical diagnosis of TBU.Since direct isolation of the causative organism from ocular specimens has limitations owing to the small volume of the ocular specimens,resultant test positivities are low in yield.Immunodiagnostic tests,including the tuberculin skin test and interferon-gamma release assays(IGRAs),can help support a clinical diagnosis of TBU.Unlike the tuberculin skin test,IGRAs are in vitro tests that require a single visit and are not affected by prior Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination.Currently,available IGRAs consist of different techniques and interpretation methods.Moreover,newer generations have been developed to improve the sensitivity and ability to detect active tuberculosis.This narrative review collates salient practice points as a reference for general ophthalmologists,such as evidence for the utilization of IGRAs in patients with suspected TBU,and summarizes basic knowledge and details of clinical applications of these tests in a clinical setting.

Two Cases of Tuberculous Meningitis after Cesarean Section

This article revealed two valuable case reports about two young females suffered tuberculous meningitis after cesarean section.After antituberculous therapy,the condition of one patient improved and the other one became deteriorated.

Prevalence of tuberculous peritonitis in the North of Iraq and sociodemographic comparison with pulmonary tuberculosis

Objective:Tuberculosis continues to be an important health problem in the world.Despite the widespread impression that abdominal tuberculosis is rare today,the disease is still endemic in developing world and is reemerging in the West.The aim is to review our local experience with tuberculous peritonitis.Methods:Between January 2000 and December 2006,the case records of histologically documented tuberculous peritonitis (TBP) diagnosed and treated at the tuberculosis coordinating center in Erbil city,Iraq were reviewed.Comparisons were made with pulmonary tuberculosis patients regarding socio-demographic,clinical and laboratory findings.Results:Forty one cases of TBP were diagnosed during the study period.Their age range was 26-72 years(46±17),with a male:female ratio of 1.5;1.The median duration of symptoms before diagnosis was 6 weeks(range;10 days to 18 months.).Eleven patients(26.8%) had comorbid conditions and 6 patients (14.6%) had a history of positive contact with Tuberculosis(TB) case.Presenting symptoms were abdominal distension(70%),abdominal pain(65%),fever(68%),anorexia(65%) and weight loss(44%).Four patients had pulmonary symptoms;cough and/ dyspnoea(n= 2 ) and cough(n= 2).Chest X-ray changes consistent with pulmonary tuberulosis(PTB) were seen in 25%.Tuberculous peritonitis was diagnosed by laparoscopy (n=29) and laparotomy(n= 12).Adverse effects of TB drugs occurred in nearly 40%,consisting of hepatitis(n= 2),nausea/vomiting(n= 11),rash(n = 2) and encephalopathy(n = 1).Hemoglobin and serum albumin levels were significantly lower in tuberculous peritonitis(TBP)TBP patients(P =0.027 and 0. 003,respectively).There was a significantly greater occurrence of adverse effects(P【0.001) in TBP patients. No significant differences between TBP and PTB were demonstrated in regard to age and sex distribution, non-specific symptoms(fever,weight loss,and anorexia) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate.All were treated with standard regimens and responded to treatment.Conclusion:Tuberculous peritonitis is prevalent in our population.Therefore.TBP should be considered in patients presenting with abdominal symptoms and nonspecific constitutional symptoms,particularly in young patients.Laparoscopy and laparotomy with tissue biopsy was the specific diagnostic procedure.