Xpert MTB/RIF for diagnosis of tubercular liver abscess. A case series

Hepatic involvement is an infrequent manifestation of abdominal tuberculosis and could occur in form of granulomatous hepatitis, nodular involvement or abscess formation. Tubercular liver abscess (TLA) is uncommon, and diagnosing this entity is a challenge. Xpert MTB/RIF (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) assay has been widely used for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and lymph nodal tuberculosis. Its utility in some forms of other extrapulmonary TB has also been studied. The role of Xpert MTB/RIF for diagnosis of tubercular liver abscess is not known. Here we present a series of four 4 cases of TLA, where the diagnosis was made on the basis of positive Xpert MTB/RIF assay tested on liver drained pus.