Tuberculous peritonitis in a young female diagnosed using mini-laparotomy: a case report

An 18-year-old female Pacific Islander with abdominal pain, ascites, and fever was transferred to our hospital with suspected ovarian malignancy. These nonspecific clinical features of tuberculous peritonitis in a female frequently contribute to misdiagnosis. Preoperative findings included negative sputums, negative purified protein derivative, and no acid-fast bacilli (AFB) found in peritoneal fluid or fine needle biopsy of the omentum. Tuberculous peritonitis was diagnosed after omental biopsy obtained at mini-laparotomy showed granulomatous inflammation and positive isolation of AFB.