Isolated colonic tuberculous perforation as a rare cause of peritonitis: report of a case

Sigmoid Colon Tuberculosis Revealed by a Perforation and Peritonitis

Intestinal tuberculosis is a frequent disease in developing countries, causing considerable morbidity and mortality. However, tuberculosis of the colon is rarer, and it also appears to be more common in immunosuppressed patients.

We report the case of a 71-year-old immunocompetent man who was admitted to the emergency department with an acute abdomen and features of perforation peritonitis. A sigmoid perforation on cancer was suspected on computed tomography (CT) scan and surgical exploration. A standard sigmoidectomy with end colostomy (Hartmann's procedure) and peritoneal toileting was done. The pathological assessment of the surgical specimen revealed the sigmoid colon tuberculosis, complicated by perforation and peritonitis. Thus, the unexpected diagnosis of sigmoid colon tuberculosis was only made after the histopathological examination. Then, he received anti-tuberculosis treatment for six months. Therefore, a complete colonoscopy was performed at the end of the treatment, which returned to be normal. Thereafter, the restoration of intestinal continuity was performed.

Colon tuberculosis is a rare disease and even rarer in people without immunodeficiency or on immunosuppressive therapy. If diverticulitis is the most common cause of sigmoid perforation, sigmoid perforation because of tuberculosis is extremely rare. However, an isolated primary sigmoid perforation of tubercular origin is not reported.

We report this exceptional case of sigmoid colon tuberculosis complicated by perforation and generalized peritonitis to sensitize the medical team to its rare occurrence, which will be of paramount importance due to the increasing incidence of tuberculosis worldwide.

A Neglected Case of Colonic Tuberculosis With Thoracolumbar Enterocutaneous Fecal Fistulae

Although intestinal tuberculosis (ITB) typically affects ileocecal segments, the complication of tubercular enterocutaneous fistula is very rare. As an isolated phenomenon, primary intestinal manifestation without extraintestinal tuberculosis (TB) is exceptional and rarely reported. We present a patient with isolated ITB with six spontaneous thoracolumbar tubercular enterocutaneous fistulae. A 37-year-old Chinese woman was admitted to our institution complaining of escape of fecal matter through several openings in her back over the previous 20 years. She had nonspecific abdominal symptoms (occasional abdominal pain and alteration in bowel habit). External physical examination confirmed the presence of external thoracolumbar fecal fistulae in association with a scoliosis. Abdominal examination was unremarkable. Diagnostic colonoscopy with biopsy did not definitively confirm a diagnosis of TB. Microscopic examination in both microbiology and histopathology labs failed to identify acid-fast bacilli; however, gastrointestinal TB (GITB) was considered high on the differential diagnosis list. It was elected to perform open laparotomy with resection of the left hemi-colon. Postoperatively, she was treated with standard anti-tuberculous treatment for 6 months. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course, during which the fistulae gradually closed over the next year. This case with several low-output fistulas exiting the patient’s back was successfully treated by a combination of surgery and antimicrobial therapy. The aim of this rare case report is to raise the awareness of atypical presentation of tubercular colonic enterocutaneous fistula so that timely diagnosis and intervention can salvage patient quality of life.

Intra-abdominal and gastrointestinal tuberculosis

OBJECTIVE

Reports suggest that the rates of tuberculosis (TB) continue to rise in the UK and throughout the world. The spread of the disease is aided by poverty, overcrowding, co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus and drug resistance. Consistent with the overall trend, intra-abdominal and gastrointestinal (GI) TB rates are rising. Tuberculosis is a treatable disease, whether occurring in the lungs or at extra-pulmonary sites but the nonspecific features of the disease result in difficulty in establishing a diagnosis. In this report, we have concentrated on the benefits and potential pitfalls of diagnostic methods.

METHOD

A literature review was performed using the National Library of Medicine's Pubmed Database using the keywords diagnosis, management, abdominal and GI TB.

RESULTS

Abdominal TB presents a particular challenge, as the diverse features of the disease do not readily suggest a particular diagnosis and diagnostic delays lead to significant morbidity and mortality. A number of investigative methods have been used to aid in the diagnosis of abdominal and GI TB.

CONCLUSION

The nonspecific presentation of abdominal and GI TB present challenges in the diagnosis of this increasingly common disease. A high index of suspicion is an important factor in early diagnosis. After a diagnosis has been established, prompt initiation of treatment helps prevent morbidity and mortality.

Retroperitoneal perforation of the colon caused by colonic tuberculosis: report of a case

We present a 25-year-old, HIV-negative patient from Kosovo, with no significant past medical history, who was admitted to a local hospital for nonspecific upper abdominal discomfort. He was transferred to us after a retroperitoneal mass with contact to the right colonic flexure had been found during workup. Colonoscopy demonstrated an edemateous area with a central fistula in the right flexure, and histology showed caseous necrosis. Although neither bacteriology nor histology could detect any germs, gastrointestinal tuberculosis seemed to be very probable. Laparotomy with a segmental resection of the colon was performed to remove the fistula-bearing segment, and histologic examination of the resected specimen confirmed the intraoperative suspect of a retroperitoneal colonic perforation. Again, all cultures from the specimen were negative for tuberculosis, but polymerase chain reaction of a regional lymph node revealed acid-fast bacilli of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis/bovis species. Although the patient had no other sites of tuberculosis infection like pulmonary or urinary, he received adjuvant standard tuberculosis treatment for six months. At control examination one year after the operation, the patient was free of recurrence and in very good general condition. We report this extremely rare presentation of gastrointestinal tuberculosis to sensitize physicians to tuberculosis again, because incidence rates are increasing and this disease will certainly play a more important role in the future.