ABDOMINAL TUBERCULOMA MIMICKING A PANCREATIC NEOPLASM - REPORT OF A CASE

We report herein a case of clinically solitary abdominal tuberculoma. A as-year-old woman was admitted to hospital for treatment of an abdom inal tumor shown to be located in the head of the pancreas and compres sing the superior mesenteric vein by echosonography and computed tomog raphy (CT), There were no clinical signs or symptoms of tuberculosis i n the lungs or abdomen. Thus, under the diagnosis of a neoplasm of the pancreas, an exploratory laparotomy was performed which revealed tube rculosis. The patient made an excellent recovery on anti-tuberculous t reatment, and no evidence of a tumor was seen on a CT scan performed 6 months after the initiation of treatment. Abdominal tuberculoma is of ten mistaken for a malignant neoplasm and the nonsurgical diagnosis of this entity continues to be a challange.