Acute tuberculous perforation of the small bowel during antituberculosis therapy

An acute, free perforation of a tuberculous ileal lesion occurred in a 25-year-old man during antituberculous therapy. The increasing incidence of extrapulmonary tuberculosis and the rarity of some of the related symptoms and complications, as presented by this patient, emphasize the importance of an early diagnosis. This case report also points out the importance of obtaining endoscopic biopsy material for bacterial culture, even if an apparently normal mucosa is seen, for the diagnosis of tuberculous intestinal disease.