MULTI-DETECTOR COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN ABDOMINAL

BACKGROUND: In a country like India where tuberculosis is rampant and considered as a major public health problem so much that there are national programs aimed towards this disease. Pulmonary form is the most common form but extra- pulmonary form of the disease is accounts for 57.9 % of all cases of tuberculosis , in which abdominal TB accounts for most cases. The diagnosis of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis is often difficult because of its varied clinical manifestations .In the abdomen the disease can affect intestinal tract, lymph nodes, peritoneum and solid viscera. CT provides a comprehensive overview of all the abdominal structures and is the imaging modality of choice for evaluation of such patients. In view of this we studied the role of multi-detector computed tomography in diagnosing abdominal tuberculosis.AIMS: The role of multi- detector computed tomography in diagnosing abdominal tuberculosis.METHODS AND MATERIALS:This was a study done between over a period of from between December 2011 to November 2012. The reports of all patients who were referred for abdominal CT were searched for tuberculosis and the data was co-related as to whether the patients had tuberculosis.RESULTS: During this period of study a total of 212 studied, 5 cases were diagnosed as having tuberculosis based on abdominal CT. Ascites which was not attributable to any specific disease as a feature; peritoneal involvement was another common feature. CONCLUSION: Tuberculosis continues to be endemic in the developing world and diagnosis of abdominal tuberculosis is usually very difficult, due to nonspecific symptoms and signs. The developments in imaging modalities like CT help in identifying cases of abdominal tuberculosis and the overall organ involvement and should be used