DIAGNOSIS OF ABDOMINAL TUBERCULOSIS IN SURGICAL PATIENTS

Objective: To find the Significance of various diagnostic procedures for abdominal tuberculosis.Material and Methods: This study was conducted in the general Surgical department of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Islamabad from January 1997 to December 1999.The study included 50 consecutive cases of abdominal tuberculosis that underwent surgery for their disease. Various diagnostic tests including tissue histopathology was performed on each and every patient. Statistical evaluation was done manually and Sensitivity of each test was CalculatedResults: This study showes that ESR was raised in 86%, of patients Mantouxʹs test was positive in 66%, Mycodot test in 52%, X-ray Chest showed activets in 26%, X-ray Abdomen with multiple fluid levels in 92%, Abdominal ultrasound reported mass of gut origin in 94% and tissue histopathology reported casseating granulomas in 100% of cases.Conclusion: No single investigation except tissue histopathology is 100% diagnostic of abdominal tuberculosis. Tissue histopathology seems to be more informative therefore it is suggested that during laprotomy tissue should be taken for histopathology in every case where TBs suspected