Clinical Significance of Total Colonoscopy in Patients with Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis without Gastrointestinal Symptoms

Park, Dong Kyu; Park, Jae Hong; Kim, Young Sun; Oh, Yong Leul; Park, Chul Hee; Jeen, Yoon Tae; Lee, Hong Sik; Chun, Hoon Jai; Lee, Sang Woo; Um, Soon Ho; Choi, Jai Hyun; Kim, Chang Duck; Ryu, Ho Sang; Hyun, Jin Hai

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Pulmonary tuberculosis may coexist with intestinal tuberculosis even in the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms. The aim of this prospective study was to define the colonoscopic findings of early lesions of intestinal tuberculosis, incidence of asymptomatic intestinal tuberculosis in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis and to evaluate the clinical response after standard anti- tuberculosis chemotherapy.
METHODS
We examined 59 Korean patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis, who had no gastrointestinal symptoms. Patients underwent diagnostic total colonoscopy up to terminal ileum for evaluation of intestinal tuberculosis. Follow-up total colonoscopy was also done in 1~3 months after start of treatment.
RESULTS
Intestinal tuberculous lesions were found in 54% of patients. The common locations of lesion were terminal ileum (84%) and cecum (69%). The combination of circumferential ulceration, hyperemic mucosa and erosions of the colon was the most common finding (37.5%), the combination of hyperemia and ulceration occurred in 34.4% of patients and hyperemia with/without erosion in 12.5%. The direction of ulceration was transevere in relation to long axis of the colon but occasionally longitudinal. Although most ulcers were multiple in number and various in size but some paitents had isolated single ulcer with erosion. All of the lesions regressed within 1~3 months of treatment.
CONCLUSIONS
During screening total colonoscopy, if there are nonspecific hyperemia, erosion or shallow ulcer on colon or terminal ileum, it is necessary to check up chest X-ray for rule out tuberculous lesion, especially in countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis.