[Tuberculous peritonitis]

The authors present the clinical picture of the tuberculous peritonitis and stress the potentialities of differential diagnosis. They drew on their diagnostic experience with tuberculous peritonitis occurring in the 1978-1987 period, and on their analysis of the clinical course of the disease in 7 patients (3 were under 40 years of age). The diagnosis should make use of laparoscopy supplemented with biopsy taken from the peritoneal wall using the "hot biopsy method", which enabled to achieve exact morphological verification. Nowadays, delayed or incorrect diagnosis can result in a serious clinical course of this rare complication of the disease.