Peripancreatic tuberculous lymphadenitis mimicking carcinoma: report of a case

Peripancreatic tuberculous lymphadenitis is a rare clinical entity and it usually raises serious diagnostic problems. We report a case of a solitary abdominal tuberculoma. A 45-year old woman was admitted to hospital with obstructive jaundice. An exploratory laparotomy was performed. A conglomerated mass, penetrating into the pancreas was found. Since exact diagnosis could not be obtained by peroperative frozen sections, standard Whipple procedure, segmental portal vein resection and reconstruction with autogenous saphenous vein were performed. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen revealed tuberculous lymphadenitis. The patient was given an anti-tuberculous treatment and a good response was noted. Abdominal tuberculoma is often mistaken for a malignant neoplasm and a high grade of suspicion is neccessary in order to make the exact diagnosis and optimal medical treatment of this entity.