Abstract

A 79-year-old woman was admitted due to ileus. Test laparotomy revealed numerous nodules with calcification disseminated on the surface of peritoneum, omentum, small intestine, and mesentery, which resembled peritoneal dissemination of cancer. Histopathological examination revealed that the nodules were consisted of caseating granuloma, and acid-fast bacilli were detected. Four-drug therapy for tuberculosis was initiated, and patient completely recovered. Peritoneal tuberculosis was proven to be curable despite difficulty of diagnosis. Even though the incidence is decreasing every year, latent tuberculosis should always be taken into consideration for elderly patients. If a patient shows ileus with unknown cause, peritoneal tuberculosis cannot be ruled out even if the sputum culture or T-spot are negative.