ABDOMINAL TUBERCULOSIS

Tuberculosis has staged a global comeback and forms a dangerous combin ation with AIDS. The abdomen is one of the common sites of extrapulmon ary involvement. Patients with abdominal tuberculosis have a wide rang e and spectrum of symptoms and signs; the disease is therefore a great mimic. Diagnosis, mainly radiological and supported by endoscopy, is difficult to make and laparotomy is required in a large number of pati ent. Management involves judicious combination of antitubercular thera py and surgery which may be required to treat complications such as in testinal obstruction and perforation. The disease, though potentially curable, carries a significant morbidity and mortality.