[Ileus as a manifestation of intestinal tuberculosis].

BACKGROUND: 'Intestinal tuberculosis' is sometimes difficult to diagnose. The symptoms are non-specific and there is an extensive differential diagnosis. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 27-year-old man from Pakistan presented at the emergency department with a history of constipation, weight loss and abdominal pain. An abdominal CT scan revealed dilated small bowel loops, lymphadenopathy and a thickened intestinal wall of the terminal ileum. Cultures of a cervical lymph node biopsy tested positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis: intestinal tuberculosis. The man eventually recovered after treatment with tuberculostatics. CONCLUSION: The most sensitive methods for establishing the diagnosis 'intestinal tuberculosis' are an abdominal CT scan and a colonoscopy with ileal and colonic biopsies; establishing the diagnosis can be challenging as a result of non-specific test results.