Inguinal hernia incarceration as a form of intestinal tuberculosis

We report the case of a 41 year-old male who came to the emergency room with a complaint of abdominal pain, and was diagnosed to have an acute obstructive abdomen due to a right inguinal hernia incarceration. During surgery, an intestinal granulomatous inflammation was observed adhered to the hernial sac. The histopathologic study confirmed the diagnosis of tuberculosis. We present a review of the different clinical forms of intestinal tuberculosis and the difficulties encounted in the differential diagnosis of such, emphasizing the uncommon presentation described in our patient.