title: Tuberculous peritonitis: 43 years' expereince in diagnosis and treatment.
abstract: The clinical course of 70 patients with tuberculous peritonitis seen over a 43 year period has been reviewed. Thirty-seven patients were diagnosed prior to the advent of anti-tuberculous chemotherapy and 33 after. Clinical manifestations remained unchanged over the period of study. Abdominal pain (93%), fever (63%), gastrointestinal upset (60%), weight loss (60%), and ascites (59%) continue to be the most common findings. Females outnumbered males 2:1. In 89% of patients the duration of symptoms prior to diagnosis was a week or longer, and in 47% it was longer than a month. Diagnosis was confirmed by histologic examination of intra-abdominal tissue in 44% of cases, by clinical suspicion with an extraperitoneal site of tuberculosis in 29%, by bacteriology of peritoneal fluid in 24%, and by autopsy alone in 3%. An extraperitoneal site of tuberculsis was present in 83% of patients. The importance of obtaining a definitive diagnosis, and of instituting immediate antimicrobial therapy is emphasized by the mortality of 49% in the pre-antibiotic era, and of 7% in patients receiving anti-microbial therapy. The conclusions from this review are that: 1) with suggestive clinical manifestations and bacteriologic proof of active tuberculosis anywhere in the patient, operation is not mandated; 2) in the presence of the above clinical manifestations, and in the absence of definitive bacteriologic proof, exploratory laparotomy is indicated for diagnostic purposes; 3) antituberculous chemotherapy is highly effective, and is the treatment of choice.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001201:Ascites / Q000150:complications; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014395:Peritonitis, Tuberculous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D013307:Streptomycin / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D013307:Streptomycin