TUBERCULOUS PERITONITIS PRESENTING AS COLOENTERIC FISTULA

Abdominal tuberculosis can present as tuberculous peritonitis with gen eralised or loculated ascites, lymphadenitis of the mesenteric or retr operitoneal nodes, or as intestinal tuberculosis. In the last case it could be annular mucosal ulceration, single or multiple strictures or hyperplastic tuberculosis of the bowel, usually involving the terminal ileum or ileocaecal region. Disease higher in the ileum is considered common but involvement of the appendix, stomach, duodenum, jejunum, c olon and rectum is unusual. Tuberculous peritonitis presenting as a co loenteric fistula is not a common clinical entity. In this case a pati ent who presented with peritonitis was found to have tuberculous perit onitis with coloenteric fistula.