Isolated splenic tuberculosis: A case report

First Report of an Association Between Crohn's Disease and Isolated Splenic Tuberculosis in Pediatric Population

Isolated splenic tuberculosis (TB) in children is extremely rare, and congenital or acquired immunodeficiency is usually a predisposing factor for this disease. Herein, we report a case of isolated splenic TB in a 5.5-year-old child associated with Crohn's disease. As far as we are aware, this association is reported for the first time in children. Clinicians should be aware and consider extra pulmonary TB, especially in endemic regions. In addition, evaluation of an underlying disorder in unusual presentations of TB is advisable.

OUP accepted manuscript

We present a case of pancreatic and splenic tuberculosis (TB) in a 15-year-old human immunodeficiency virus-negative patient who was initially misdiagnosed as suffering from a pancreatic carcinoma with splenic metastases. Pancreatic and splenic TB are extremely rare in young immunocompetent patients, with a nonspecific clinical presentation, making the diagnosis elusive.

Isolated spleen tuberculosis in an immunocompetent patient, a rare case report

Introduction

Tuberculosis (TB), as a major public health concern, is affecting almost 10 million people globally. At present, diagnostic and screening efforts mainly focus on positive smear results. Therefore, the number of extra pulmonary and negative sputum TB is rising and hampering the diagnosis and treatment process due to the large number of false negatives. Rare cases such as solitary splenic TB are usually seen in patients with splenic abnormalities, spleen trauma, immunosuppression, sickle cell disease, pyogenic infections, etc.

Presentation of case

A 40-year-old female with no comorbidity came with chief complaint of early satiety every mealtime and epigastric pain in the last 6 months prior to admission. There was no significant positive examination except for positive IGRA test and enlargement of spleen with multiple cystic lesions on abdominal CT. We performed laparotomy with splenectomy followed by a histopathology examination which showed features of primary tubercular abscess.

Discussion

In the immunocompromised patient, the visceral abdomen is usually involved and a part of miliary TB. However, this case revealed the rare possibility of a healthy person with primary isolated tubercular splenic abscess while being immunocompetent and lacking any comorbidity.

Conclusion

Splenic TB diagnosis is difficult in patients lacking pulmonary involvement and without specific symptoms. Thorough examinations and clinical expertise are needed to provide accurate diagnosis and treat uncommon forms of TB and cases with negative smear results in consideration of rising prevalence and difficult disease control.

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A case of isolated splenic tuberculosis was found in an immunocompetent patient.

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In this case, TB is again the great imitator, with symptoms similar to malignancy.

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Conventional diagnosis is inconclusive, and only postsurgical pathology confirms TB.

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Anti-TB drugs are first line for splenic TB, with surgery for complicated cases.

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TB is a possible diagnosis for splenic mass, even in immunocompetent patients

Isolated Splenic Tuberculosis Masquerading as Disease Progression of Hodgkin's Lymphoma on Interim18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Scan

¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan is the imaging modality of choice in the management of lymphoma. However, 18F-FDG is a nonspecific tracer for tumoral metabolic activity and infective pathology, thus posing a challenge in accurate response assessment. Here, we present a case of Hodgkin's lymphoma, referred for staging PET/CT scan which showed FDG-avid disease in the mediastinum, and on interim ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in addition to the mediastinal mass lesion, a FDG-avid lesion was also noted in the spleen suggestive of disease progression. The biopsy report of the lesion was tuberculosis, which was masquerading as disease progression on interim ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT.

Isolated Splenic Tuberculosis: A Diagnostic Conundrum

Tuberculosis is an established cause of pyrexia of unknown origin and can implicate practically any human organ system. Splenic involvement is common in disseminated or miliary tuberculosis following hematogenous spread, but isolated splenic involvement is a very rare phenomenon. We report the case of a 30-year-old immunocompetent female who presented with high-grade fever and dull aching pain in the left hypochondrium for three months. Laboratory data provided no diagnostic information. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed an enlarged spleen with multiple small hypoechoic lesions that were corroborated on computed tomography. No pulmonary involvement or primary focus of infection was discernible elsewhere. Splenic fine needle aspiration cytology helped clinch a histopathological diagnosis of isolated splenic tuberculosis. Administration of anti-tubercular therapy resulted in resolution of the disease and an excellent outcome in our patient.

Obstructed ileocaecal tuberculosis with splenic tuberculosis and solid pseudopapillary tumour of tail of pancreas in an immunocompetent woman

A 22-year-old young woman presented with fever, lower abdominal pain and vomiting for 20 days. She had persistent fever and abdominal pain. Fever panel was negative. Clinical features were suggestive of subacute small bowel obstruction. Contrast-enhanced CT abdomen showed thickening of distal ileum, ileocaecal junction and caecum with conglomerate necrotic nodal mass in the ileocolic mesentry along with a lesion in the tail of pancreas. Patient was discussed with multidisciplinary team and decided to undergo a single-stage procedure after adequate nutritional optimisation. During optimisation, she underwent acute obstruction and hence taken up for emergency laparotomy proceeded to right haemicolectomy with distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy 4 weeks after the time of admission. Histopathology showed ileocaecal tuberculosis and solid pseudopapillary tumour with margins free of tumour. Approach of obstructed ileocaecal tuberculosis in the setting of incidental diagnosis of solid pseudopapillary tumour of pancreas in a moribund patient was challenging.

Solitary Splenic Tuberculosis in an Immunocompetent Child: A Case Report

Tuberculosis (TB) is a lethal infectious disease that still remains a major threat in developing countries. Solitary splenic tuberculosis is a rare entity and there have been very few cases of it reported in literature. It is mostly encountered in patients who have an immunocompromised state. It may occur with a myriad of non-specific presentations, making it complex to diagnose. Here, we report a case of an eight-year-old female, immunocompetent, who had complaints of fever, abdominal pain and chronic diarrhea. Laboratory data failed to provide any information about the final diagnosis. On physical examination, splenomegaly was present. Imaging studies were conducted with an abdominal ultrasound showcasing mild ascites, splenomegaly, with a homogeneous echo pattern and no focal mass. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen showed two hypodense areas in the subcapsular region of the spleen and extending into the capsule, suggestive of a tuberculous abscess with mesenteric lymphadenopathy. The diagnosis was further corroborated when the patient showed remarkable improvement on anti-tuberculous therapy. This is a very uncommon phenomenon, especially in an immunocompetent patient and hence, it is very important to keep this on the list of differentials especially in an area where TB is endemic.

Metastatic tubercular gummas and splenic tuberculoma secondary to tubercular lymphadenitis in an immunocompetent female

Tubercular gummas and splenic tuberculomas are rare forms of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, usually occurring in immunocompromised individuals. We hereby report a rare combination of multiple tubercular gummas and splenic tuberculoma secondary to TB lymphadenitis in an immunocompetent individual. The patient responded to antitubercular therapy. Thus, in a developing country like ours, tuberculosis can present in a wide clinical spectrum even in an immunocompetent individual.

Splenic tuberculosis in an immunocompetent patient can be managed conservatively: a case report

Tuberculosis is a significant health problem in developing countries. Splenic tuberculosis usually occurs as a part of miliary tuberculosis, and ranks third after lung and liver involvement, respectively. Splenic involvement is more common in immunocompromised patients and is very rarely found in immunocompetent patients. Here we report a case of splenic tuberculosis in an immunocompetent patient, which was managed successfully with conservative treatment.

Isolated Splenic Cold Abscesses with Perisplenic Extension: Treated Successfully without Splenectomy

Splenic tuberculosis (TB) in the form of multiple splenic cold abscesses with perisplenic extensions is a rare disease, especially in an immunocompetent host. It demonstrates diagnostic complexity, which makes identification of the disease difficult. We report a case of an immunocompetent adult male who presented with fever, pain in the left lower chest, decreased appetite, and significant weight loss. On physical examination, he had tenderness in the left lower infra-axillary region and Traube's space dullness without palpable spleen. Ultrasound-guided aspiration of the abscess fluid revealed Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). No primary focus of the infection was detected in the lungs or any other organs. The patient was successfully treated with antitubercular therapy (ATT).

Isolated splenic tuberculosis with subsequent paradoxical deterioration: a case report

BACKGROUND

Isolated tuberculosis of the spleen has been described occasionally in literature, mostly in immunosuppressed individuals with various risk factors. Sequestration in the spleen makes such Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection difficult to diagnose. This report describes an extremely rare case of isolated splenic tuberculosis in an immunocompetent individual.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 26 year old Kenyan male presented with pyrexia of unknown origin, with negative screening tests for bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections. Ziehl-Neelsen staining and GeneXpert tests were negative for M. tuberculosis. Diagnosis of isolated splenic tuberculosis was made on core biopsy of the spleen. The patient initially worsened upon treatment with antituberculous medication attributable to the 'Paradoxical Reaction' phenomenon, before making full recovery.

CONCLUSIONS

This case highlights the need to continuously be on the lookout for tuberculosis especially in unusual presentations, including subsequent paradoxical reaction which may be encountered.

Isolated splenic tuberculosis diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration

Our patient was a 48-year-old female, who presented with history of persistent low-grade fever and weight loss. The CT scan of the abdomen revealed multiple hypodense lesions in spleen. No primary focus of infection was detected in any other organs. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of splenic lesion revealed granulomatous inflammation. The patient was started on anti-tuberculous therapy. There is a diagnostic possibility of splenic tuberculosis even in immunocompetent individuals and we chose a combination anti-tuberculous therapy as the first line treatment with consideration of splenectomy depending on the response.

Isolated splenic tuberculosis detected only on FDG-PET

Tuberculosis (TB) is a well-known problem in developing countries but has shown resurgence in non-endemic populations in recent years. This may be due to increased migration, and is more commonly seen in populations with lowered immunity due to various causes. Isolated splenic TB is extremely rare, especially in immunocompetent patients. In this case report we have described an immunocompetent female, presenting to the physician with fever, without any chest symptoms or weight loss. All microbiological investigations for pyrexia of unknown origin were done, which did not reveal the cause. Imaging modalities including chest radiographs and ultrasound did not reveal any significant abnormalities. Finally, fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) showed FDG-avid multiple focal nodular lesions (not seen on contrast and non-contrast CT). MRI including diffusion-weighted imaging did not reveal the splenic nodules. PET-directed CT-guided biopsy of the splenic lesions was performed, with histopathology findings suggestive of TB. Atypical clinical and imaging presentations are not uncommon in TB. History of exposure to TB may not be present. Nevertheless, TB should be kept in mind as a differential diagnosis in patients with fever, and extensive search of the source is important. Splenic TB reported in literature to date has been detected by morphological imaging modalities such as ultrasound or contrast CT. Ours is possibly the first case reported in the English literature where FDG-PET has detected the lesions that other imaging modalities failed to show, thus illustrating the role of molecular imaging in the evaluation of pyrexia of unknown origin to localize the site of affection.

Spontaneous splenic rupture in an acute leukemia patient with splenic tuberculosis: A case report

Spontaneous splenic rupture, also referred to as atraumatic splenic rupture, is a rare but life-threatening emergency condition. Without timely diagnosis and treatment, the mortality rate of splenic rupture approaches 100%. The etiology of atraumatic splenic rupture varies; it is reportedly associated with neoplasms or splenic infection, but is rarely encountered in patients with both conditions. We herein report the case of a 58-year-old male patient with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) complicated by splenic tuberculosis (TB), who presented with spontaneous rupture of the spleen. Pathological examination of the resected spleen revealed multifocal granulomatosis with caseous necrosis. However, with timely diagnosis and surgical intervention, the patient recovered successfully and is currently on consolidation therapy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of spontaneous splenic rupture in AML with splenic TB. The relevant literature on spontaneous splenic rupture was also reviewed and the potential etiology and treatment were discussed.

Isolated primary tuberculosis of spleen-A rare entity in the immuno-competent patient

INTRODUCTION

Tuberculosis is a global public health concern, with 9.6 million affected individuals worldwide. Current screening and diagnostic regimes focus primarily on smear positivity, and hence, the rising numbers of Sputum negative and Extra-Pulmonary Tuberculosis has become a significant set-back to adequate diagnosis, disease notification and treatment, due to the large number of false negatives.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

We hereby describe an intriguing presentation of tuberculosis - A 23 yr old lady with no comorbid illness, came to us with ten month history of on and off pyrexia, weakness and left hypochondriac pain. On evaluation, two isolated hypodense lesions in the spleen were detected. Diagnostic laparoscopy and Splenectomy were performed and histopathology revealed features of primary tubercular abscess.

DISCUSSION

Commonly, abdominal visceral involvement is seen as a part of miliary tuberculosis in the immuno-compromised patient. However, in the absence of any co-morbidity and preserved immune function, this case depicts the rare possibility of primary isolated Tubercular splenic abscess in the normal healthy individual.

CONCLUSION

We require a close eye and a keen sense of clinical acumen to accurately diagnose and treat smear negative and uncommon forms of Tuberculosis. Considering the growing prevalence and difficulty in disease control, there is need for greater knowledge and awareness to help mitigate the global burden of Tuberculosis.

Splenic tuberculosis in a patient with newly diagnosed advanced HIV infection

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Splenic tuberculosis (TB) is a rare clinical condition usually seen as a part of miliary TB.

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The presence of a splenic abscess without an active TB of the lung in an Italian HIV positive patient is very uncommon.

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Case reports of isolated splenic TB in which microbiological and molecular examinations have been carried out to confirm the diagnosis are rare especially in low TB prevalence areas as Italy.

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This case report may be useful when physicians are faced with differential diagnosis of splenic mass or abscess.

The extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) constitutes to about 20% of all TB cases. Among extra-pulmonary form, splenic TB is very rare clinical condition especially as initial manifestation in a developed country. Diagnosis of splenic TB is challenging because it presents no specific symptoms or typical imaging findings and microbiological confirmation is not straight forward.

We describe the case of a 55 year old Italian female with advanced HIV infection whose first AIDS clinical manifestation was a TB splenic abscess.On CT, the lesion was multilocular, hypovascular, 34 mm large, and presented contrast enhancement and a spoke wheel pattern; it was initially considered a cystic formation of parasitic nature. In this patient clinical manifestations were nonspecific (nightly fever, weight loss, and fatigue); as diagnostic imaging could not pinpoint the underlying etiology, microbiological and molecular examinations of spleen abscess drainage proved pivotal for the diagnosis. The patient improved clinically with antitubercular therapy.

The rarityof splenic tuberculosis in an European patient coupled with the involvement of the spleen in isolation and outside the “miliary” setting prompted us to report this case.

Solitary splenic tuberculosis: a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Tuberculosis remains one of the most prevalent and fatal infectious diseases in spite of considerable improvements in medical science. Tuberculosis is an important health problem in developing countries. There are few cases of solitary splenic tuberculosis reported in the literature internationally. Solitary splenic tuberculosis is extremely rare and is mostly seen in individuals with immunosuppression. Patients susceptible to acquiring splenic tuberculosis usually have some risk factors such as immunosuppression, pyogenic infections, splenic abnormalities, spleen trauma, sickle cell disease, and so on (Basa JV, Singh L, Jaoude WA, Sugiyama G, Int J Surg 8C:117-119,2015).

CASE PRESENTATION

Here we report a case of surgically confirmed mass-forming solitary splenic tuberculosis in a 64-year-old woman who presented with abdominal discomfort for two months, but with no other symptoms. Laboratory data provided no specific information for diagnosis. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed a large hypoechoic lesion within the spleen. Computed tomography scan of the abdomen showed a solitary hypodense lesion. A diagnosis of solitary splenic tuberculosis was confirmed after a splenectomy was performed and histopathological examination revealed splenic tuberculosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Solitary splenic tuberculosis is rare and associated with an immunocompetent patient is extremely rare. It is hard to correctly diagnose it by US or CT scan.

Recurrent Fever in Children

Children presenting with recurrent fever may represent a diagnostic challenge. After excluding the most common etiologies, which include the consecutive occurrence of independent uncomplicated infections, a wide range of possible causes are considered. This article summarizes infectious and noninfectious causes of recurrent fever in pediatric patients. We highlight that, when investigating recurrent fever, it is important to consider age at onset, family history, duration of febrile episodes, length of interval between episodes, associated symptoms and response to treatment. Additionally, information regarding travel history and exposure to animals is helpful, especially with regard to infections. With the exclusion of repeated independent uncomplicated infections, many infective causes of recurrent fever are relatively rare in Western countries; therefore, clinicians should be attuned to suggestive case history data. It is important to rule out the possibility of an infectious process or a malignancy, in particular, if steroid therapy is being considered. After excluding an infectious or neoplastic etiology, immune-mediated and autoinflammatory diseases should be taken into consideration. Together with case history data, a careful physical exam during and between febrile episodes may give useful clues and guide laboratory investigations. However, despite a thorough evaluation, a recurrent fever may remain unexplained. A watchful follow-up is thus mandatory because new signs and symptoms may appear over time.

Systemic spread of tuberculosis after surgery for a splenic tuberculous abscess without postoperational antituberculosis treatment: a case report

Solitary splenic tuberculosis (TB) is rare, with less than ten cases ever being reported. The diagnosis is established by the pathological analysis of a biopsy from a surgical operation or from a fine-needle aspiration sample. Manifestations of splenic TB include low-grade fever, weight loss, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. This case, however, has no obvious symptoms, and multiple splenic tubercles were discovered during a routine physical examination. Splenic abscesses from TB were diagnosed after the operation. Postoperative spread of TB lead to cerebral tuberculous abscesses and pulmonary TB. Resolution was achieved with anti-TB therapy.

A case of isolated splenic tuberculosis

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We discuss a case of isolated splenic tuberculosis.

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Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis can present in the immunocompetent patient.

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Splenectomy is indicated when GI bleeding due to portal hypertension and splenomegaly occurs, as well as failure of medical therapy, cytopenia and multiple splenic abscess.

There are few cases of isolated splenic tuberculosis reported in the literature internationally, and nearly none from western medical centers. The incidence of tuberculosis has declined in the United States since the 1950s, with 11,585 reported cases in 2009, 21% of which were exclusively extrapulmonary. Splenic tuberculosis occurs mostly as part of miliary tuberculosis in immunocompromised patients. Isolated splenic tuberculosis is extremely rare, particularly in the immunocompetent patient. Patients susceptible to acquiring splenic tuberculosis usually have one of the following risk factors: immunosuppression, preceding pyogenic infections, splenic abnormalities, prior trauma to the spleen, sickle cell disease and other hemopathies, and in the immunocompetent patient another body site infected by M. tuberculosis. In this report we present the case of a young immunocompetent male with no other significant past medical history with isolated splenic tuberculosis.

A rare presentation of splenic tuberculosis with a pseudocyst

Splenic tuberculosis is an unusual manifestation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, especially in immunocompetent hosts. It often poses diagnostic difficulties as microbiological confirmation is not easy. In this case report, we describe a case of pseudocyst of the spleen due to tuberculosis, which is a rare clinical presentation with only one case having been reported previously. A 24-year-old immunocompetent woman presented with pain in the abdomen, vomiting and fever. On evaluation the patient was found to have a cyst arising from the spleen. Splenectomy was performed. Pathological examination of the specimen revealed a pseudocyst with granulomas and giant cells consistent with tuberculosis. Cyst fluid analysis revealed lymphocyte predominance with high adenosine deaminase levels. The patient was started on 6 months of antituberculous therapy postoperatively. On follow-up, the patient was found to have gained weight and showed signs of well-being.

Isolated splenic tuberculosis in an immunocompetent patient

A 20-year-old woman presented with fever and was eventually diagnosed with splenic tuberculosis as the sole site of the disease. Laboratory data gave no specific information for diagnosis except for a raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate and mild anaemia. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed splenomegaly with multiple hypoechoic lesions within it. A diagnosis of isolated splenic tuberculosis was confirmed after CT-guided aspiration from splenic lesions showed the presence of acid-fast bacilli.

[Symptomatic hypercalcemia presenting as a case of isolated splenic tuberculosis]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To describe an unusual clinical presentation as isolated splenic tuberculosis.

PATIENT AND METHODS

We report a case of isolated splenic tuberculosis, a rare form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in an immunocompetent patient, and, as a peculiarity, debuts in the form of symptomatic hypercalcemia.

RESULTS

We deeply report the clinical case and the procedures performed to exclude other diseases. We emphasize the usefulness of fine needle aspiration of the spleen to obtain microbiological samples, and the use of specific polymerase chain reaction for mycobacterias to establish the definitive diagnosis of this entity. In agreement with other authors, we chose initial medical treatment with antituberculous drugs, reserving surgery for refractory cases or in case of spontaneous splenic rupture.

CONCLUSION

Hypercalcemia can be a presentation of granulomatous diseases. The isolated involvement of the spleen by mycobacterias is a rare form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis and more so in immunocompetent patients.

Isolated tubercular splenic abscess: can we defer splenectomy? Our single experience with anti-tuberculous therapy alone

Isolated splenic tuberculosis is an exceedingly rare clinical condition. Microbiological confirmation of diagnosis in such cases is quite difficult. We encountered the case of a 35-year-old female, who presented with persistent low-grade fever and weight loss. The CT scan of the abdomen revealed multiple hypodense splenic lesions. No primary focus of infection was detected in any other organs. Fine needle aspiration of splenic lesion revealed acid-fast bacilli on Ziehl-Neelsen stain. With anti-tuberculous therapy, the lesions regressed significantly in size. We stress that splenic tuberculosis should be considered as a diagnostic possibility even in immunocompetent individuals and choose combination antituberculous therapy as the first line treatment with consideration of splenectomy depending on response.