Intestinal Tuberculosis Mimicking Colon Carcinoma

Fatih Altintoprak^1, , Enis Dikicier², Guner Cakmak², Yusuf Arslan², Gokhan Akbulut¹, Osman Nuri Dilek¹ and Zeynep Kahyaoglu³

¹Department of General Surgery, Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine, Sakarya, Turkey

²Department of General Surgery, Sakarya University Research and Educational Hospital, Sakarya, Turkey

³Department of Pathology, Sakarya University Research and Educational Hospital, Sakarya, Turkey

Cite this paper:
Fatih Altintoprak, Enis Dikicier, Guner Cakmak, Yusuf Arslan, Gokhan Akbulut, Osman Nuri Dilek and Zeynep Kahyaoglu. Intestinal Tuberculosis Mimicking Colon Carcinoma. Global Journal of Surgery. 2013; 1(3):15-18. doi: 10.12691/js-1-3-2

Abstract

Gastrointestinal tuberculosis occurs most often in the ileocecal region, but it can also occur in other locations in the gastrointestinal system. However, few cases with isolated gastrointestinal involvement have been reported. A 27-year-old female presented with abdominal pain, fatigue, weakness, weight loss, and anorexia. A mass was identified in her right lower abdominal quadrant on physical examination. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed a thickened right colon wall with marked narrowing of the lumen, and mucosal ulcers at the hepatic flexure and circular narrowing of the lumen 10cm distal to these lesions were identified on colonoscopic examination. Laparoscopic right hemicolectomy was performed due to the fact that malignancy could not be rule out. Gastrointestinal tuberculosis is often confused with inflammatory diseases, and even histopathological diagnosis is difficult in most cases. In addition to this, differentiation between malignancies and infectious diseases is also necessary.

Keywords:
tuberculosis gastrointestinal tuberculosis colon carcinoma

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