A patient presenting with a pelvic mass, elevated CA-125, and fever

Background. Tuberculous peritonitis is a rare event which can mimic advance d stage ovarian cancer. A pelvic mass and an elevated CA-125 is suggestive of an ovarian malignancy; however, benign conditions may be discovered, esp ecially in the premenopausal patient. Case. A patient with a pelvic mass, ascites, and an elevated CA-125 underwe nt an exploratory laparotomy for presumed ovarian cancer. Final pathology r evealed pelvic tuberculosis without any pulmonary involvement. Acid-fast ba cilli were confirmed with polymerase chain reaction in the surgical specime n. Discussion. Pelvic tuberculosis is an uncommon gynecologic condition that p resents with ascites, a pelvic mass, and fever. An elevated CA-125 is not s pecific for ovarian malignancy. (C) 2000 Academic Press.