Peritoneal carcinomatosis mimicking a peritoneal tuberculosis

Diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography in differentiating peritoneal tuberculosis from peritoneal carcinomatosis

INTRODUCTION

Peritoneal tuberculosis is difficult to diagnose as it may mimic peritoneal carcinomatosis, which has similar symptomatology. We sought to determine the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography in differentiating peritoneal tuberculosis versus peritoneal carcinomatosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The associations of radiological findings in 124 patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis (n = 55) or tuberculosis (n = 69) were determined using Chi-square test. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and total diagnostic accuracy of CT imaging, with histopathology as gold standard, was determined. Subgroup analyses to determine these parameters by age (>40 years and ≤40 years) and gender (male and female) were performed.

RESULTS

Mean age of study population was 44.1 ± 13.2 years with 61 males (49.2%) and 63 females (50.8%). The most common radiological abnormality in both peritoneal carcinomatosis (90.9%) and peritoneal tuberculosis (89.9%) was omental smudging, followed by presence of extraperitoneal mass (81.8%) in carcinomatosis and presence of micro-nodules in tuberculosis (88.4%). The findings significantly different in both the carcinomatosis and tuberculosis groups were high-density ascites, splenic calcification, splenomegaly, lymph node calcifications, micro-nodules, and macro-nodules. The diagnostic accuracy of CT in differentiating peritoneal tuberculosis from peritoneal carcinomatosis was 83.8%; sensitivity and specificity for peritoneal tuberculosis were 88.4% and 78.2%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The diagnostic accuracy of CT in differentiating peritoneal tuberculosis from peritoneal carcinomatosis revealed an overall diagnostic accuracy of 83.8%. Subgroup analysis revealed that CT may be a more specific diagnostic tool to predict peritoneal tuberculosis in female patients and in those over 40 years old.

Fitz-Hugh-Curtis Syndrome: An Incidental Diagnostic Finding During Laparoscopic Sterilization

Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome is associated with the presence of perihepatic adhesions, with or without associated symptoms. It is, most commonly, a result of chlamydial or gonococcal infections. We present a case of Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome in an asymptomatic female patient who underwent a routine laparoscopic sterilization. The patient had, otherwise, normal intraoperative findings and negative laboratory investigations. The patient had a past history of tuberculosis infection, for which she had received treatment 10 years ago. We also present the literature relevant to our case report.