title: Usefulness of ultrasound in the diagnosis of peritoneal tuberculosis.
abstract: The peritoneum is one of the most common extrapulmonary sites of tuberculous infection. We report a case of peritoneal tuberculosis (TB) in a 25-year-old man. In this case, ultrasound of the abdomen played an important role in the diagnostic process. The diagnosis of this disease, however, remains a challenge because of its insidious nature, the variability of its presentation, and the limitations of available diagnostic tests. A high index of suspicion should be considered, particularly in high-risk patients with unexplained ascites. In our case ultrasound guided the diagnosis by rapidly identifying abnormal signs, which in high-prevalence settings are extremely suggestive of peritoneal tuberculosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Sassari, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria, Sassari, Italy. sebastiana_atzori@yahoo.it
authors.forename: Sebastiana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Atzori
authors.forename: Gianpaolo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vidili
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Delitala
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000328:Adult; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010537:Peritoneum / Q000473:pathology; D014395:Peritonitis, Tuberculous / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*