Intraperitoneal tuberculosis abscess: A rare form of tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is related to high rate of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Extra-pulmonary forms are increasing in incidence. The diagnosis of extrapulmonary locations, especially abdominal, is often difficult because the clinical and biological signs are not specific, leading to a delay in diagnosis and treatment. The intraperitoneal tuberculosis abscess is a particular radio-clinical entity, due to its atypical and confusing symptomatology. We report the case of a 36-year-old female patient who had a peritoneal tuberculosis abscess manifested by diffuse abdominal pain in a febrile context.

Safety and outcome using endoscopic dilatation for benign esophageal stricture without fluoroscopy

AIM: To investigate the use of Savary-Gilliard marked dilators in tight esophageal strictures without fluoroscopy.

METHODS: Seventy-two patients with significant dysphagia from benign strictures due to a variety of causes were dilated endoscopically. Patients with achalasia, malignant lesions or external compression were excluded. The procedure consisted of two parts. First, a guide wire was placed through video endoscopy and then dilatation was performed without fluoroscopy. In general, “the rule of three” was followed. Effective treatment was defined as the ability of patients, with or without repeated dilatations, to maintain a solid or semisolid diet for more than 12 mo.

RESULTS: Six hundred and sixty two dilatations in a total of 72 patients were carried out. The success rate for placement of a guide wire was 100% and for dilatation 97%, without use of fluoroscopy, after 6 mo to 4 years of follow-up. The number of sessions per patient was between 1 and 7, with an average of 2 sessions. The ability of patients, after 1 or more sessions of dilatation, to maintain a solid or semisolid diet for more than 12 mo was obtained in 70 patients (95.8%). For very tight esophageal strictures, all patients improved clinically without complications after the endoscopic procedure without fluoroscopy, but we noted 3 failures.

CONCLUSION: Dilatation using Savary-Gilliard dilators without fluoroscopy is safe and effective in the treatment of very tight esophageal strictures if performed with care.