The clinical and laboratory findings of tuberculous peritonitis were made in 50 patients who had been admitted to Seoul National University Hospital from Jan. 1972 to June 1977 and whose diagnosis was confirmed by detection of caseating granuloma with the method of percutaneous needle biopses (30 cases), open peritoneal biopsies (3 cases), and surgery (17 cases).
The results are summerized as followings:
1. The male to female ratio was 1 : 1 : 8, and the peak incidence was found between 11 and 30 years of age.
2. Chief complaints were abdominal .distension (58%), abdominal pain (24%) abdominal mass (6%). Beside, these abdominal symptoms, indigestion, febrile sensation, weight loss, general weakness, anorexia and diarrhea were also frequently noted.
3. Among the positive physical findings were the ascites (60%), abdominal tenderness (50%) fever (50%), abdominal rigidity (24%), abdominal mass (20%), rebound tenderness (16%), and hepatomegaly
(16%), in the order of frequency.
4. CBC findings showed anemia, elevated ESR, and normal WBC count with elevated number of polymorphocyte.
5. Liver function test was performed in 47 cases with the findings of hypergiobulinemia (83%),
hhypoalbuminemia (57%), elevated SGOT (23%), elevated alkaline phosphatase (15%), abnormal TTT (11%), elevated SGPT (9%), and hyperbilirunemia 4%.
6. The examination of ascitic fluid was possible in 30 cases and the character of ascites was exudate according to the mean values of protein and cell count. The mean value of protein was 3.56 gm%, and the cell count was 1, 247/mm3 with, the lymphocyte predominance (82.2%) But in 5 cases (17%), the ascitic fluid was found to be transdate (protein< 2.5 gm%, cell count<500/mm3).
7. The chest X-ray revealed pleural effusion or pulmonary tuberculosis in 17 cases (37%). Small, bowel series and colon studies were performed in 24 cases, and they were abnormal in 12 cases (50%) with the findings of. diffuse peritoneal adhesion (3 cases), fixation and shortening of colon (3 cases), multiple filling defect (3 cases), free perforation (1 case), and intestinal obstruction due to extraluminal mass (2 cases).
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