Laparoscopic drainage of a peripancreatic tuberculous abscess

A 28-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain, anorexia, low-grade pyrexia, and a palpable abdominal lump. An abdominal CT scan revealed a mass in the region of the pancreatic head comprised of enlarged lymph nodes interspersed with loculi of pus. Because a fine-needle aspiration failed to establish a diagnosis, the abscess was drained laparoscopically and biopsy specimens were obtained; the specimens confirmed lymph nodal tuberculosis. Postoperatively, the patient received a 9-month course of antitubercular therapy; she remains asymptomatic on follow-up. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the use of laparoscopy for the drainage of a peripancreatic tuberculous abscess.