A rare case of isolated pancreatic tuberculosis in a 70-year-old patient - a case report

Pol Przegl Chir. 2019 Feb 7;91(2):48-50. doi: 10.5604/01.3001.0012.8880.

Abstract

We report a case of rare solitary pancreatic tuberculoma. 70 years old woman admitted to hospital in order to conduct diagnostics of a tumor located in the head of the pancreas. All symptoms pointed at pancreatic cancer, but histopathological examinations were inconclusive. Additionally, there were no clinical signs or symptoms of tuberculosis in the lungs. X-ray of the chest showed no abnormalities. The patient denied tuberculosis in the medical interview. There were no bacilli in the sputum. During exploratory laparotomy, the samples of tissue have been taken for pathomorphological examination. The microscopic image caused suspicion of Mycobacterium tuberculosis etiology, which was confirmed by Ziehl-Neelsen staining. In recent years, tuberculosis has become more and more common in Europe, which is why the described case can be a guide for doctors to help to avoid diagnostic errors and speed up the treatment process.

Keywords: pancreas; tuberculosis; tumor.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Europe
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / isolation & purification*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / microbiology*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Poland
  • Rare Diseases / diagnosis
  • Rare Diseases / therapy
  • Tuberculosis / diagnosis*
  • Tuberculosis / therapy*