title: Case of intestinal tuberculosis mimicking Crohn's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intestinal tuberculosis can closely mimic Crohn's disease and colon cancer. Presented here is a case of intestinal tuberculosis that closely mimicked both.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 23 year old Hispanic female presented with several months of weight loss, recurrent fever, and emesis. The patient did not have pulmonary symptoms or radiographic evidence of tuberculosis. Colonoscopy evaluation with biopsy of the affected bowel segments were thought to be consistent with either colon cancer or Crohn's Disease. Acid fast bacilli staining and histological analysis did not display evidence of tuberculosis on two separate occasions. The patient developed colonic obstruction acutely during the course of treatment requiring resection of the affected bowel segment. Acid fast staining of the resected lymph nodes was positive and submucosal caseating granulomas were identified histologically, consistent with intestinal tuberculosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intestinal tuberculosis remains a diagnostic challenge. Consideration of the disease should be maintained in equivocal cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Orange, CA, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Brock D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Buchberg
authors.forename: Nimisha K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Parekh
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mills
keywords: Crohn’s disease; extra-pulmonary; intestinal; mimicking; tuberculosis