title: Ultrasound presentation of abdominal tuberculosis in a German tertiary care center.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Abdominal tuberculosis (TB) is a relatively rare disease in most of Europe and the typical clinical and sonographic findings in this setting have not been studied. We aimed to define sonographic findings that should alert an examiner to the possibility of abdominal TB in a low endemic region.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case records of 17 patients with proven (n = 11) or highly likely (n = 6) abdominal TB detected in the gastrointestinal ultrasound unit at a German tertiary care center in 2003-2013 were analyzed retrospectively. Findings were compared with reported series from high-prevalence regions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While 76% of patients had an immigrant background, only 35% had a condition associated with immunosuppression. Lymphadenopathy was present in all cases of abdominal TB, while it was absent in 28% of patients from a control group with proven abdominal sarcoidosis. Moreover, retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy was significantly more common in TB. Other findings in patients with abdominal TB in descending order of frequency were ascites, altered hepatic texture, splenomegaly, splenic lesions, peritoneal thickening, intestinal wall lesions, hepatic lesions and hepatomegaly. 76% of abdominal TB patients had 2 or more pathological findings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multiple pathological intra-abdominal findings including lymphadenopathy should alert the examiner to the possibility of abdominal TB.
authors: Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover , Hannover , Germany.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: von Hahn
authors: Franz-Christoph
authors: FC
authors: Bange
authors: Sandra
authors: S
authors: Westhaus
authors: Kinan
authors: K
authors: Rifai
authors: Dina
authors: D
authors: Attia
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Manns
authors: Andrej
authors: A
authors: Potthoff
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Gebel
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001201:Ascites / Q000382:microbiology; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006529:Hepatomegaly / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008206:Lymphatic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008643:Mesentery; D008875:Middle Aged; D012187:Retroperitoneal Space; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013163:Splenomegaly / Q000382:microbiology; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014385:Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014386:Tuberculosis, Hepatic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014400:Tuberculosis, Splenic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014463:Ultrasonography