Successful treatment of tuberculous peritonitis while maintaining patient on CAPD

Although conventional wisdom advises removal of the Tenckhoff catheter as part of the therapy for tuberculous peritonitis, there are a few recent reports of cases successfully treated while maintaining the patients on CAPD. We wish to report three cases treated without interrupting CAPD. In two of the patients, cultures were positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and in the third case, although the cultures were negative, the patient improved on anti-Tb medications. Smear for AFB was positive in one patient; and two had a positive PPD. All had predominance of lymphocytes and monocytes in effluent. The total WBC count was 160-300 and two patients had fever. All had abdominal pain. One patient was treated with INH and ethambutol; one with INH and rifampin and one (who was suspected of being HIV+) also received pyrazinamide (PZA) until culture was available. Cultures grew in 4-6 weeks. All were started on therapy prior to having the culture results, and all showed clinical improvement within two weeks. One patient had his catheter replaced two months later because of pseudomonas peritonitis, continued on CAPD for an additional five months, then changed to HD because of recurrent bacterial peritonitis. One patient died of complications of diabetic vascular disease three months later with no evidence of peritonitis. One patient has remained on anti-Tb treatment for seven months and is doing well on CAPD.