The tuberculosis. involvement of alimentary tract was remarkably lower in incidence and morbidity, along which pulmonary tuberculosis since the use of antituberculosis agents in .1950.
But the incidence of tuberculosis disease is still high in Korea and the diagnosis of alimentary tract tuberculosis is hard. These 116 cases of intestinal tuberculosis, selected according to the Bockus diagnostic criteria, were treated in Yonsei University Medical Center during the past 22 years from 1954 to August, 1976.
Of then, 62 patients had operative management and 33 had conservative treatment,
1. The average age of all patient is 33 years, with its range from 2 to 72, and its peak deuce in the 20?40 years.
2. The sex ratio is 1 : 1.7 in favor of females.
3. The chest P-A X-ray is negative in 56% of all patients.
4. The frequent subject symptoms are abdominal pain, diarrhea and weight loss.
5. The frequent physical singns are papable mass, tenderness and distension.
6. The laboratory findings are not available.
7. The involvement of alimentary tract is multiple or diffuse and frequently involved ileo-cecal
region (85%).
8. The primary alimentary tuberculosis is hypertrophic type and 56% in incidence.
9. The common complications are intestinal obstruction, intestinal perforation and fi stula..
10. It is so difficult to differentiate clinically from all of the abdominal disease, especially from carcinoma and chronic disease, the pathological diagnosis should be made on abdominal exploration. Examination of frown sections during operation is helpful.
11. Excellent prognosis can be expected with primary resection as possible as, if the resection is inevitable rather than exclusion (by=pass) or diversion (exteriorization) type of operation. It is advisable chemotheraphy °post-operatively since most of the patients have multiple or difuuse type of pathology along the gastrointestinal tract.
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