Fulminant hepatic failure caused by tuberculosis.

A 54 year old Asian woman developed fulminant hepatic failure followed by renal failure. Because of a past history of possible tuberculosis, she was given antituberculous drugs. The chest x ray was normal. A transjugular liver biopsy showed caseating necrosis, granulomas, and acid fast bacilli indicative of miliary tuberculosis. Despite full supportive therapy, her condition deteriorated and she died. Postmortem examination showed widespread miliary tuberculosis; culture confirmed the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis causes fulminant hepatic failure rarely and only three cases have been described. In this, as with the other cases, hyponatraemia and hepatomegaly were features at presentation. This is the first report of treatment being given before death.     

Hepatic tuberculosis presenting as cholestatic jaundice. A case report.

We report three cases of hepatic tuberculosis with cholestatic jaundice. All three patients presented with cholestatic jaundice, anorexia, fever and weight loss. All had hepatomegaly. No biliary obstruction was detected. Two patients had evidence of extra hepatic tuberculosis but one had no such evidence. Diagnosis of hepatic tuberculosis was confirmed by liver biopsy. Little is known about tuberculous affecting the liver and the general belief is that it is a histopathological entity only, but these cases are a reminder of the unusual manifestation of a very common condition. All the cases recovered with anti-tuberculous treatment.     

25例肝结核临床分析

目的探讨肝结核的诊断和治疗措施。方法报道1999年1月~2005年1月收治确诊的肝结核病人25例,对其临床资料进行回顾分析。结果25例病人临床表现主要为发热、腹痛、腹胀和肝肿大,反复肝功能异常。病理类型粟粒型8例,结节型17例。5例手术切除治疗。所有病人都经过9~18月的抗结核治疗,经随访预后良好。结论肝结核临床表现和影像学表现多样,且无特异性,误诊误治率高。肝结核诊断需综合临床表现、实验室检查、影像学检查和病理检查,确诊手段主要是肝组织活检,系统性的抗结核治疗及选择性手术治疗是肝结核的主要有效治疗手段。     

肝结核20例临床分析

目的 探讨肝结核的诊断和治疗措施.方法 对20例肝结核患者的临床资料进行回顾性分析.结果 20例患者中表现为发热、盗汗、纳差、腹痛、腹胀和腹泻分别为10例(50%)、4例(20%)、12例(60%)、8例(40%)、12例(60%)、4例(20%)和无症状3例(15%).腹部B超及CT检查发现肝内占位性病变15例,肝内有钙化灶2例,肝脏肿大3例.手术及病理诊断肝结核15例,2例因肝内有钙化灶诊断为肝结核,另3例采用诊断性抗结核治疗有效诊断为肝结核.20例患者中有16例合并肝外结核.所有患者均经过1.5年以上的抗结核治疗,经随访预后良好.结论 肝结核患者的临床和影像学表现多样,且无特异性,误诊误治率高.确诊的主要手段是肝脏病理学检查及诊断性治疗,系统的抗结核治疗及选择性手术治疗是肝结核患者的有效治疗手段.     

Primary hepatic tuberculosis masquerading as intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Abdominal tuberculosis is a common clinical entity in Indian subcontinent; however, hepatic tuberculosis in the absence of miliary abdominal tuberculosis is restricted to the case reports and small case series in English literature. It mimics common liver diseases like liver abscess and tumours. We report a case of 38 years old male presenting with abdominal pain, loss of appetite and weight initially misdiagnosed as intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma on magnetic resonance imaging and FNAC of the lesion but later diagnosed as a case of hepatic tuberculosis on post operative histopathology specimen. It is important to consider tuberculosis in the differential diagnosis when suspecting lymphoproliferative or metastatic diseases in a patient with vague symptoms.     

Primary macronodular hepatic tuberculosis: US and CT appearances

Tuberculosis of the liver is uncommon except in association with miliary dissemination. Although hepatic involvement by tuberculosis tends to be diffuse, the macronodular or pseudotumor forms are rare. In addition, reports of actual imaging of tuberculous liver involvement are rare. A 5-year-old boy with a febrile illness due to macronodular hepatic tuberculosis, demonstrated by abdominal computed tomography (CT), and diagnosed by liver biopsy is presented.     

Hepatic sarcoidosis.

We describe six cases of hepatic sarcoidosis. Clinical presentation was with weight loss, hepatomegaly and abnormal liver function tests. In addition there was fever, itching, splenomegaly and abdominal lymphadenopathy in some. CT scan revealed mediastinal lymphadenopathy in all. Liver biopsy showed noncaseating epithelioid granulomas. Serum angiotensin converting enzyme was elevated in four cases. All patients had received anti-tuberculosis treatment with clinical diagnosis of hepatic tuberculosis. None of them improved, while some showed clinical deterioration. All patients responded to corticosteroids with disappearance of symptoms and normalization of liver function tests.     

Miliary tuberculosis

The clinical pattern of miliary tuberculosis has changed strikingly in the past two decades, with a decreased frequency, an increased incidence of undiagnosed cases and an increase in the mean age of affected patients. The clinical presentation is not specific; however, headache and abdominal pain are strongly suggestive of meningeal and peritoneal involvement. Skin testing, chest roentgenograms and specimens from extrapulmonic sources are all helpful in establishing a diagnosis. The potential role of brush biopsy and of percutaneous needle lung biopsy in the diagnosis of miliary tuberculosis is presented. Hematologic and hepatic abnormalities are common and diverse but nonspecific, whereas body cavity fluids, when involved with tuberculosis, have changes highly suggestive of this diagnosis. An overview of the supportive measures available in the acutely ill patient and the present drug armamentarium for tuberculosis are discussed.     

Liver tuberculosis in an HIV patient: diagnosis and management

Hepatic involvement is common in miliary and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis but is usually clinically silent. Therefore, it is rarely diagnosed. We report the case of a patient that presented with prolonged fever and hepatomegaly. Liver biopsy revealed non-necrotizing granulomas that led in turn to the diagnosis of generalized tuberculosis and HIV infection. The patient reported an old untreated tuberculosis and depression of the immune system provoked the reactivation of this old tuberculosis focus. We describe the clinical course of the disease and the challenges associated with the complexity of the treatment. Diagnosis of hepatic tuberculosis requires a high degree of suspicion especially in AIDS patients who show atypical presentations. However, it is a potential curable disease and good results have been obtained with the four drug regimen.     

Clinical aspects of miliary tuberculosis in Saudi adults.

OBJECTIVE: To review all cases of miliary tuberculosis (MT) over a period of 7 years in a Saudi Arabian population, to determine the clinical and laboratory characteristics and diagnostic methods, and to compare our data with others reported in the literature. DESIGN: A retrospective case review. RESULTS: Of 780 cases of active tuberculosis seen over period of 7 years, 47 (6%) had MT. The majority of the patients were aged over 60 years (68%). The most common symptoms were fever and weight loss. Risk factors were present in 70% of cases, mainly diabetes mellitus, history of prior tuberculosis, chronic liver and renal disease, immunosuppressive drug therapy and malignancy. Miliary pattern on chest radiography was seen in 89%. The most common laboratory abnormalities were anemia (66%), lymphopenia (89%), low albumin (87%), and high alkaline phosphatase (80%). Fiberoptic bronchoscopy was diagnostic in 7/10 (70%), bone marrow examination in 8/11 (73%), and liver biopsy in 14/16 (88%). High alkaline phosphatase and lymphopenia were associated with high yield of liver biopsies and bone marrow examination: 13/14 (93%) and 7/8 (88%), respectively. Death occurred in 10/47 (21%); all of these had radiological evidence of miliary pattern, and 80% had comorbid conditions. CONCLUSION: These data confirm and extend the results of other studies and suggest that MT is a disease of the elderly and immunocompromised, and is associated with high mortality. A high index of suspicion is required for diagnosis.     

Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysms in a patient treated for miliary tuberculosis

A 70-year-old woman with fever was admitted to our hospital. She was diagnosed as miliary tuberculosis and treated with antituberculous drugs. After seven weeks of therapy, she developed a sudden sharp upper abdominal pain and shock. Angiography of the celiac artery showed two hepatic artery pseudoaneurysms with extravasation. The hemorrhage was successfully stopped by microcoil embolization. The clinical course suggested that miliary tuberculosis had caused the pseudoaneurysms. Although aneurysms rarely occur as a complication of miliary tuberculosis, they should be diagnosed as early as possible because of the high rate of rupture and associated high mortality rate.     

Hepatic dysfunction in children with tuberculosis on treatment with antituberculous therapy

Aim. To determine the incidence and factors associated with drug induced hepatic dysfunction in children on anti-tuberculous treatment (ATT).Setting. Pediatric Tuberculosis Clinic at B.J. Wadia Children’s Hospital, Mumbai.Material and methods. 46 children with tuberculosis on ATT between April 2007 and February 2008 were included. Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) level was measured at the beginning, after 15 days of starting ATT, at the end intensive phase and then if the patient developed symptoms of hepatic dysfunction. A value 3 times the normal value of the testing laboratory was considered to be significant for liver dysfunction. Liver dysfunction was analysed for association with factors like age, sex, weight, malnutrition, type of tuberculosis and severity of tuberculosis using SPSS Statistics software, Ver-sion15.0.Results. Seven (15.2 %) out of 46 children developed drug induced hepatic dysfunction, of which 2 (28.6%) patients had 2 episodes of liver dysfunction while 5 (71.4%) had 1 episode of liver dysfunction. One (14.3%) developed symptom of hepatitis in the form of jaundice and hepatomegaly. All the patients developing liver dysfunction were in the intensive phase of treatment. The mean age of the children developing liver dysfunction was 4.0 ± 3.76 years. Liver dysfunction was associated with age younger than 3/ years (p = 0.025). Liver dysfunction was not associated with sex, weight, malnutrition, type of tuberculosis and severity of tuberculosis.Conclusion. Regular monitoring of SGPT levels is recommended in all children on ATT below the age of 3 / years.     

Miliary tuberculosis and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Miliary tuberculosis is a life-threatening disease caused by the haematogenous spread of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We evaluated the clinical manifestations of 34 patients with miliary tuberculosis. DESIGN: A retrospective case review. RESULTS: The diagnosis of miliary tuberculosis was based on the identification of miliary nodules on chest radiography and one of the three following criteria: 1) acid-fast bacilli smear and/or culture positive in clinical specimens (22/34), 2) histopathological identification of TB granuloma (6/34), and 3) radiological and clinical improvement after anti-tuberculosis treatment (6/34). The median age (+/-SD) of the patients was 42.7 +/- 21.6 years, with two peaks, in the age group 20-30 and in those over 60. There were 16 underlying diseases in 14 patients, of which liver cirrhosis was the most common. The drug sensitivity pattern was available for 17 isolates of M. tuberculosis: 14 were sensitive, while the other three were resistant to at least one anti-tuberculosis drug. Eight patients developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), five of whom died during intensive care. Platelet count, serum albumin and liver enzyme level at the time of admission were significant factors both for ARDS development and for survival. CONCLUSION: ARDS caused by miliary TB is associated with a high fatality rate; scope remains for improvement in its management.     

Imaging diagnosis of 12 patients with hepatic tuberculosis

AIM: To assess CT, MR manifestations and their diagnostic value in hepatic tuberculosis. METHODS: CT findings in 12 cases and MR findings in 4 cases of hepatic tuberculosis proved by surgery or biopsywere retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: (1) CT findings: One case of serohepatic type of hepatic tuberculosis had multiple-nodular lesions in the subcapsule of liver. Parenchymal type was found in 10 cases, including multiple, miliary, micronodular and low-density lesions with miliary calcifications in 2 cases; singular, low-density mass with multiple flecked calcifications in 3 cases; multiple cystic lesions in i case; multiple micronodular and low-density lesions fusing into multiloculated cystic mass or “cluser“ sign in 3 cases; and singular, macronodular and low-density lesion with multiple miliary calcifications in 1 case. One case of tuberculous cholangitis showed marked dilated intrahepatic ducts with multiple flecked calcifications in the porta hepatis. (2) MR findings in 4 cases were hypointense on both Tl-weighted imagings and T2-weighted imagings in one case, hypointense on Tl-weighted imagings and hyperintense on T2-weighted imagings in 3 cases. Enhanced MR in 3 cases was slightly shown peripheral enhancementor with multilocular enhancement. CONCLUSION: Various types of hepatic tuberculosis have different imaging findings, and typical CT and MR findingscan suggest the diagnosis.     

Ofloxacin in miliary tuberculosis

We report one case of severe miliary tuberculosis with liver failure and respiratory insufficiency in a twenty-seven year old patient. We emphasize the presence of hepatic, occular and vestibular toxicities secondary to the treatment and the usefulness of ofloxacin with cycloserine given for nine months.     

Abdominal tuberculosis in urban Britain--a common disease

Between 1973 and 1983 abdominal tuberculosis was responsible for the admission of 90 patients to a west London district general hospital. Over the same period Crohn's disease was newly diagnosed in 102 hospitalised patients. In contrast with Crohn's disease, the majority (75) of tuberculous patients were Asian immigrants. Mean duration of residence in the United Kingdom was 4 +/- 0.9 (SD) years, and mean age at presentation was 34.9 +/- 1.1 years. Forty per cent of tuberculosis patients presented as an acute emergency to physicians, surgeons, or gynaecologists while the remainder presented a more insidious, chronic picture. Five groups of tuberculous patients were recognised. Forty two subjects had intestinal tuberculosis characterised by pain (100%), abdominal mass (43%) and abnormal contrast radiology (100%). Ten of these underwent emergency laparotomy for intestinal obstruction or perforation. Twenty seven patients had tuberculous peritonitis although only 16 had ascites. Eight patients presented with pyrexia and granulomatous hepatitis. Five had pulmonary and abdominal tuberculosis. The remaining eight patients represented a miscellaneous group. The diagnosis of abdominal tuberculosis was established histologically (60 cases), bacteriologically (six cases) or radiologically (24 cases). Chest radiograph, tuberculin skin testing and paracentesis were usually unhelpful. Five severely ill patients died. The remainder recovered completely after specific triple chemotherapy and response to treatment was usually evident within 14 days. In urban Britain tuberculosis is an important cause of abdominal disease. Prognosis is excellent following specific therapy.     

Unusual cutaneous manifestations of miliary tuberculosis.

Cutaneous manifestations of miliary tuberculosis are extremely rare. We describe a 62-year-old woman with leukopenia who developed infiltrated dermal-hypodermal and ulcerative cutaneous lesions during the course of miliary tuberculosis. Miliary tuberculosis was diagnosed when Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli were isolated by cultures of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and blood and when acid-fast bacilli were detected on histopathologic examination of hepatic, pulmonary, and cutaneous biopsy specimens. With the increasing incidence of immunocompromised patients, unusual presentations of tuberculosis may be observed more often. Acute miliary tuberculosis of the skin is an exceptional manifestation that is due to acute hematogenous dissemination of M. tuberculosis to the skin. We describe a patient who had unusual cutaneous manifestations of miliary tuberculosis.     

Hepatobiliary tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is known to involve the liver in different ways. The term hepatobiliary tuberculosis refers to the localized form of hepatic tuberculosis as a distinct clinical entity, with signs and symptoms related to the hepatobiliary tract. Its clinical features and the different diagnostic aids used in its diagnosis are reviewed. Plain abdominal radiographs showing diffuse hepatic calcifications seen in approximately 50% of cases are almost diagnostic for hepatobiliary tuberculosis. Liver biopsies obtained either by ultrasound, computed tomography or laparoscopy, showing caseating granuloma usually establish the diagnosis. In the absence of caseation necrosis, a positive acid-fast bacillus (AFB) or culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis is needed to establish the diagnosis. A polymerase chain reaction assay for the identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in liver biopsy specimens is a new development. Treatment is similar to that used for pulmonary tuberculosis. Quadruple therapy (using four anti-tuberculosis drugs) is recommended, generally for 1 year. For patients with obstructive jaundice, in addition to anti-tuberculous treatment, biliary decompression should be performed either by stent insertion during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatology, by percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage or by surgical decompression whenever feasible.     

肝窦阻塞综合征八例临床分析

目的探讨肝窦阻塞综合征（SOS）的临床诊治方法。方法回顾性分析8例SOS的临床资料,并进行随访。结果8例SOS主要临床表现为腹胀（8例）、肝区疼痛（7例）、腹水征（8例）及肝肿大（7例）等。8例的肝功能损害程度大多较轻,血清-腹水白蛋白梯度均大于11．1g／L,血清与腹水CA125均显著升高。超声检查均见肝脏肿大、胆囊壁水肿或增厚、门静脉增宽且流速缓慢、肝静脉变细以及腹腔积液等;MRI表现为门脉期及延迟期肝实质不均匀片状强化,肝叶、段静脉腔内造影剂充盈不良。经皮肝穿刺活检均见肝窦扩张、淤血及肝细胞变性、坏死,3例发现小静脉管腔狭窄、管壁增厚伴纤维组织增生。8例中1例行肝移植术后痊愈,4例经内科治疗后逐渐康复,3例死亡。结论SOS的临床表现以突出的门脉高压症为特点,CA125常显著升高,超声及MRI对本病的诊断与鉴别诊断有重大价值,而经皮肝穿刺活检的价值有限,联合应用影像学方法与病理活检可提高诊断正确率。早期应用抗凝药物是治疗本病的关键,严重病例可行肝移植术。     

Tuberculous peritonitis in children：Report of nine patients and review of the literature

AIM：To present our experience with tuberculous peritonitis treated in our hospital from 2002-2007. METHODS： We reviewed the medical records of 9 children with tuberculous peritonitis. RESULTS： Nine patients （5 boys, 4 girls） of mean age 14.2 years were diagnosed with peritoneal tuberculosis. All patients presented with abdominal distention. Abdominal pain was seen in 55.5% and fever in 44.4% of the patients. Four cases had coexisting pleural effusion and two had pulmonary tuberculosis with parenchymal consolidation. Ultrasonography found ascites with septation in 7 patients. Two patients had only ascites without septation. Ascitic fluid analysis of 8 patients yielded serum-ascite albumin gradients of less than 1.1 gr/dL. Laparoscopy and laparotomy showed that whitish tuberculi were the most common appearance. Adhesions were also seen in three cases. The diagnosis of peritoneal tuberculosis was confirmed histo-pathologically in 7 patients and microbiologically in two. Two patients had been diagnosed by ascitic fluid diagnostic features and a positive response to antituberculous treatment. All patients completed the antituberculous therapy without any complications. CONCLUSION： Tuberculous peritonitis has to be clinically suspected in all patients with slowly progressive abdominal distension, particularly when it is accompanied by fever and pain. Laparoscopy and peritoneal biopsy are still the most reliable, quick and safe methods for the diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis.