Peritoneal tuberculosis with elevated serum CA 125 levels: A case report

CONTEXT: Meigs' syndrome consists of a benign ovarian tumor accompanied by ascites and hydrothorax. Elevated serum CA 125 levels in postmenopausal women with solid adnexal masses, ascites and pleural effusion are highly suggestive for malignant ovarian tumor. However, patients with Meigs' syndrome can also have elevated serum CA 125 levels. The authors report a case of Meigs' syndrome with elevated CA 125 level. OBJECTIVE: This is a case report of Meigs' syndrome with elevated CA 125 level. CASE REPORT: A 65-year-old Brazilian woman had presented progressive dyspnea, weight loss and decline in general condition over the 7 months preceding admission to our service. In another hospital, the patient had been submitted to thoracic drainage due to pleural effusion. With recurrence of the pleural effusion and increase in abdominal volume due to ascites and a pelvic mass, the patient sought our service. Transvaginal ultrasound showed an extensive adnexal solid mass of 16.4 x 10.8 cm located in the pelvis without exact limits, and the serum CA 125 level was elevated. With a preoperative diagnosis of ovarian carcinoma, the patient was submitted to exploratory laparotomy, which revealed a left ovarian tumor. The frozen section diagnosis was thecoma. Total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed. The histology of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis of thecoma. The patient was asymptomatic with a normal serum CA 125 level 20 months after the operation.

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Peritoneal Tuberculosis Presenting as Chronic Ascites With Scrofula: A Case Report

Clinical Management Issues ◽

10.7175/cmi.v13i1.1416 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Galina Bogoslovskaya ◽

Jose Zaldivar

Keyword(s):

Case Report ◽

Early Diagnosis ◽

Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis ◽

Young Female ◽

Ca 125 ◽

Test Results ◽

Peritoneal Tuberculosis ◽

Clinical Presentations ◽

High Index Of Suspicion ◽

Diagnostic Delays

Peritoneal tuberculosis (PTB) is a common type of extrapulmonary tuberculosis; however, due to variety of clinical presentations, diagnostic challenges do occur. The nonspecific features of this disease can lead to diagnostic delays and the development of complications. In addition, PTB can mimic a malignancy, especially in women who present with ascites and elevated cancer antigen (CA) 125 levels. A high index of suspicion is an important factor in an early diagnosis. Moreover, an early diagnosis and the initiation of antituberculous therapy are essential for preventing morbidity and mortality. Fortunately, most of these patients respond very well to standard antituberculous therapy.Here, we have reported the case of a young female patient who presented with chronic ascites, mild abdominal tenderness, and later, scrofula. Ultimately, she was diagnosed with PTB based on her test results. We expect that this case report will contribute to the existing literature on this subject.

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