When Tuberculosis Defies Appearances: The Tale of a Deceptive Abdominal Mass on Imaging

Cureus. 2024 Mar 22;16(3):e56686. doi: 10.7759/cureus.56686. eCollection 2024 Mar.

Abstract

Tuberculosis poses a significant public health challenge, especially in highly endemic countries. Rarely, it appears as an abdominal mass resembling a malignant abdominal tumor and can be misleading on imaging, so early diagnosis remains a challenge, and confirmation may require invasive examinations such as laparotomy. The most characteristic radiological appearance is that of a solid, hypervascular, or peripherally enhancing mass with a hypodense center. We present a case of retroperitoneal tuberculosis that simulated a teratoma on imaging. This case highlights the diagnosis difficulties even in endemic countries, despite advances in imaging techniques such as ultrasound and computed tomography.

Keywords: abdomen; computed tomography; mass; pseudotumor; tuberculosis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports