Clinico-Demographic and Imaging Profile of Pediatric Patients with Abdominal Tuberculosis

Authors

  • Dr. Sumaira Maqbool AL-FALAH SCHOOL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE & RESEARCH CENTRE , FARIDABAD INDIA
  • Dr. Akib Arfee AL-FALAH SCHOOL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE & RESEARCH CENTRE , FARIDABAD INDIA
  • Dr Syed Ruzina Firdose AL-FALAH SCHOOL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE & RESEARCH CENTRE , FARIDABAD INDIA
  • Dr Mushtaq Wani AL-FALAH SCHOOL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE & RESEARCH CENTRE , FARIDABAD INDIA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59667/sjoranm.v29i1.14

Keywords:

Pediatric abdominal tuberculosis, ultrasound, Computed Tomography (CT), Extrapulmonary tuberculosis, Mesenteric lymphadenopathy

Abstract

Background: Abdominal tuberculosis in children presents a diagnostic challenge because of its nonspecific clinical presentation and low microbiological yield. Imaging may support assessment in conjunction with clinical and laboratory findings.

Objective: To describe the clinico-demographic profile and modality-specific imaging findings of pediatric patients diagnosed with abdominal tuberculosis.

Methods: This retrospective study included 50 patients aged 1–14 years diagnosed with abdominal tuberculosis at a tertiary care center. Clinical and laboratory findings and the reported diagnostic categories were summarized descriptively. Abdominal ultrasound findings were available for 41 patients and contrast-enhanced CT findings for 22 patients. Imaging frequencies were described separately for each examined group.

Results: There were 28 males and 22 females, with a mean age of 8.2 ± 3.5 years. Clinical features included ascites in 36 patients (72%), abdominal pain in 31 (62%), and weight loss in 20 (40%). The reported diagnostic categories comprised 15 microbiologically confirmed, 25 histopathology-confirmed, and 10 probable cases. GeneXpert was positive in 15 patients (30%). Ascites was reported in 33 of 41 ultrasound examinations (80.49%) and 11 of 22 CT examinations (50%). Other reported imaging findings included lymphadenopathy, bowel wall thickening, hepatosplenomegaly, and mesenteric or omental involvement.

Conclusion: This retrospective series describes the clinical and imaging findings of children diagnosed with abdominal tuberculosis. Imaging findings should be interpreted together with clinical, microbiological, and histopathological information. These descriptive data do not establish diagnostic accuracy, differences between diagnostic categories, or improved treatment outcomes.

Author Biographies

  • Dr. Sumaira Maqbool, AL-FALAH SCHOOL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE & RESEARCH CENTRE , FARIDABAD INDIA

    Senior Resident, Department of Pediatrics

  • Dr. Akib Arfee, AL-FALAH SCHOOL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE & RESEARCH CENTRE , FARIDABAD INDIA

    Senior Resident, Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging 

  • Dr Syed Ruzina Firdose, AL-FALAH SCHOOL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE & RESEARCH CENTRE , FARIDABAD INDIA

    Associate Professor, Department of Radiodiagnosis & Imaging 

  • Dr Mushtaq Wani, AL-FALAH SCHOOL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE & RESEARCH CENTRE , FARIDABAD INDIA

    Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics,

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Published

2026-04-27

Data Availability Statement

Available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Issue

Vol. 29 No. 1 (2026)

Section

Research Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Sumaira Maqbool, Dr. Akib Arfee, Dr Syed Ruzina Firdose, Dr Mushtaq Wani

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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How to Cite

Maqbool, S., Arfee, A., Firdose, S. R., & Wani, M. (2026). Clinico-Demographic and Imaging Profile of Pediatric Patients with Abdominal Tuberculosis. Swiss Journal of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, 29(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.59667/sjoranm.v29i1.14

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