The authors report 11 cases of primary hepatic tuberculosis (PHT), obs
erved between January 1982 and December 1996. The mean age of the pati
ents was 30 years. Circumstances of discovery were: right upper quadra
nt pain (6 cases), chronic fever (4 cases), and cholestatic jaundice (
1 case). laboratory tests revealed a raised erythrocyte sedimentation
rate (9 cases), inflammatory anaemia (7 cases) and an inflammatory tub
erculin skin test (4 cases). Ultrasonography allowed a precise morphol
ogical investigation, but failed to confirm the diagnosis, which could
only be established by pathological examination of biopsies taken dur
ing laparoscopy or by ultrasound-guided percutaneous needle biopsy. Di
agnostic certainty was therefore obtained in all patients by visualiza
tion of a giant cell granuloma with central caseating necrosis. A favo
urable course was observed in response to well adapted and well conduc
ted specific medical treatment.