314 Isolated Tuberculosis of Appendix: A Case Report
M Mathew, O Yilmaz, T Mathew- Surgery
Abstract
Introduction
Stump appendicitis is a rare and delayed complication of appendectomy. In India, abdominal tuberculosis (TB) represents about 10% of the extra pulmonary TB and the appendix is involved in only about 1%. A combined occurrence of both conditions is very rare.
Case Presentation
A 24-year-old male presented to the General Surgery outpatients’ clinic with a 2-week history of right iliac fossa pain with no other associated symptoms. The patient had undergone an open appendectomy for perforated appendicitis 3 months prior to the current presentation. Per abdominal examination showed tenderness at the McBurney’s point. A CT abdomen revealed thickened and enhanced stump appendix along with adjacent fat stranding and multiple mesenteric nodes, suggestive of stump appendicitis. In light of the upward trend seen in white blood cell count, the patient was planned for a diagnostic laparoscopy and pre-anesthesia clearance was obtained. Intra-operatively, adhesiolysis of dense bowel and omental adhesions were performed. About 3.5 cm appendicular stump was resected. Micro-nodular peritoneal nodules were resected. The specimens were sent for histo-pathology examination.
Results
The postoperative period was uneventful with symptomatic relief. The biopsy of the stump described morphological features of caseating granulomatous inflammation, suggesting the possibility of tuberculosis while the peritoneal nodules showed infiltration of inflammatory cells. The patient was started on specific anti-tubercular treatment.
Conclusions
Appendicular TB is rare and of uncertain physiopathological etiology. The peculiarity of our case was the finding of abdominal TB presented as stump appendicitis. This may even be the first report with similar findings.