Echo-sonographic semiotics of abdominal tuberculosis

The objective of the study: to clarify the echo-sonographic semiotics of abdominal tuberculosis.

Subjects and methods. 107 patients at the age from 22 to 58 years old had a sonographic examination and underwent the consequent surgery due to suspected abdominal tuberculosis. 92/107 (85.9%) patients had pulmonary tuberculosis of different severity; 73.9% (68/107) patients pulmonary tuberculosis with concurrent HIV infection.

Results: all patients had ultrasound examinations due to pain abdominal syndrome or clinical signs of ascites. The following echo signs were visualized in patients: enlargement and changes in the structure of intra-abdominal lymph nodes (in 58 patients), changes in the intestinal wall (in 19 patients), heterogeneity of serous membranes and free fluid in the abdominal cavity (in 81 patients). In the absolute majority of patients, there was a combination of those echo signs. Among 107 patients with suspected abdominal tuberculosis, this diagnosis was confirmed in 44 (41.1%), while in 63 (58.9%) patients, non-tuberculosis abdominal lesions were detected: 11 – mycobacteriosis, 5 – lymphopropoliferative disease (lymphoma), and 1 – metastatic lesion of lymph nodes (adenocarcinoma), 3 – colorectal cancer (adenocarcinoma) and in 1 (5.3%) – granulomatous colitis (Crohn disease), 4 – peritoneal carcinomatosis, 1– peritoneal sarcoidosis, 1– peritoneal mycobacteriosis (MAC-infection), in 36 patients – free fluid in the abdominal cavity corresponded to secondary peritonitis caused by perforated tuberculosis bowel ulcers or non-specific ascites against the background of hypoproteinemia or drug-induced hepatitis.

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