TMSS Medical College Journal

Primary intestinal tuberculosis is a rare variety of tuberculosis. Prognosis of intestinal tuberculosis with anti-tubercular drugs is highly effective, but sometime surgery may be needed for complicated cases. Like this 60-year-old lady presented with acute appendicitis eventually diagnosed as ileocecal tuberculosis during surgery. The patient later treated with anti-tubercular therapy and responded with the treatment very well.

World Health Organization’s surveillance and survey data estimates that 9.27 million new cases of tuberculosis occurred in 20072 . Primary intestinal tuberculosis is a rare variety of tuberculosis. Prognosis of intestinal tuberculosis with anti-tubercular drugs is highly effective, but sometime surgery may be needed for complicated cases. Nowadays intestinal tuberculosis are in western countries and sporadic cases are present in internationally2 . However there are still considerable diagnostic challenges present especially in the absence of pulmonary tuberculosis. As intestinal tuberculosis mimics other abdominal diseases, as Crohn’s disease3 , intestinal obstruction3 , appendicitis5 etc it is important to consider intestinal tuberculosis in differential diagnosis of abdominal cases. In this case report, the initial diagnosis was acute appendicitis though the case was primary ileocecal tuberculosis.