Duodenal tuberculosis presenting as gastric outlet obstruction: A case report

Gastric outlet obstruction is commonly associated with malignancies and peptic ulcer disease. However, when no malignancy is seen and the patient is non-responsive to conventional peptic ulcer treatment, other etiologies need to be explored. We report a case of gastric outlet obstruction due to duodenal tuberculosis. The patient is a 31 year old male who presented with 1 year history of recurrent epigastric pain and an a-cute episode of vomiting. Endoscopy revealed duodenal stricture. Computed tomography scan showed pyloro-antral thickening. The patient was referred to the surgery service and underwent an exploratory laparotomy and gastrojejunostomy. A duodenal mass and calcified lymph nodes were noted on exploration and biopsy revealed a tuberculous origin. The patient was started on anti-tuberculosis medications and had improved on discharge. Gastroduodenal tuberculosis is rare and pyloric stenosis resulting from tuber-culosis is even rarer. This, however, should be considered in patien-ts who come from areas where the disease is endemic. 2011 Baishideng. All rights reserved.