Abdominal tuberculosis: a surgical perspective

ABSTRACT

To document the clinical presentation, operative findings, surgical procedures and complications of abdominal tuberculosis. Retrospective study. This study was conducted in Surgical Unit II of Bolan Medical Complex Hospital, Quetta during August 2001 to August 2006. This study included patients, who presented with clinical features of intestinal obstruction. They were either known cases of abdominal tuberculosis or diagnosed at the time of laparotomy. Tissue biopsy specimen was taken from all the cases for histopathological examination. A total of 7983 patients were admitted during the last 5 years. Among them 294 were admitted with acute or chronic intestinal obstruction. All of them were operated. Two hundred were suffering from abdominal tuberculosis. Majority of them were in their 4th decade of life. The male to female ratio was11.63. The most common clinical presentation was the weight loss [88%], abdominal distension [73%] and abdominal pain [46%]. Peroperative findings revealed ileal perforation in 44.0%, multiple adhesions in 26.5% and ileocaecal mass in 14.0%. Resection of gut and primary anastomosis was performed in 38.0% and adhesiolysis in 22.0%. The major cause of morbidity was wound infection [17.0%], faecal fistula [9.5%] and burst abdomen [6.5%]. The mortality was 12.0%. Abdominal tuberculosis is one of the major causes of acute abdomen in developing countries. It affects the people of working age group of the society. It imparts a great deal of morbidity as well as economic loss