Case Report: peritoneal tuberculosis in a 26-year-old woman simulating ovarian cancer

Abstract

Introduction: Peritoneal tuberculosis is a re-emerging disease, with an insidious evolution and difficult diagnosis. Peritoneal involvement has a low incidence, affecting both sexes equally between the ages of 35 to 45 years. The high index of suspicion should be an important factor in early diagnosis, so that once established, treatment can be started and morbidity and mortality rates can be reduced. Case description: 26-year-old patient, with non-specific symptoms; abdominal pain, ascites and fever. She was admitted to the internal medicine service for an etiological approach to ascites, later she was approached as suspected ovarian cancer, she presented to surgery service who decided to perform a laparotomy and whose intraoperative biopsy reported the diagnosis of peritoneal tuberculosis. Conclusion: Peritoneal tuberculosis is a rare disease; clinical manifestations may suggest the presence of a tumor disease; clinical suspicion is low and in many cases the diagnosis is incidental.