Sonographic findings of intestinal tuberculosis

Sonograms in 41 patients with intestinal tuberculosis were analyzed. The sonographic findings of intestinal tuberculosis were thickening of the wall in the ileum, cecum, or ascending colon (or in more than one of these). We detected the wall thickening in 38 cases by sonography (detection rate, 93%). The ileum was the most frequent site of involvement. The patterns of bowel wall thickening were diffuse in 30 cases and focal in eight cases and were concentric in 28 cases and eccentric in six cases. The associated findings were ascites, lymphadenopathy, omental cake, and cecal spasm in order of decreasing frequency. The sonographic findings are not specific for the diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis, but when noted in the appropriate clinical situation would be of great help in the diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis.