Tuberculosis intestinal asociada a falla intestinal

Abstract

Tuberculosis is the first cause of death due to an infectious agent in the world and occurs in low percentage in the digestive tract. When the intestine is involved, it can lead to serious complications that require emergency surgical treatment and will require a specialized unit for postoperative management. We report the case of a young woman with past medical history of untreated pulmonary tuberculosis who developed an intestinal perforation, as a complication of intestinal tuberculosis. An intestinal resection and proximal jejunostomy were performed. She developed with intestinal failure and began intestinal rehabilitation. The challenge was to initiate antituberculous treatment, enteral nutrition, and oral feeding. The management was in charge of the Intestinal Failure Unit of our hospital, installing at the beginning parenteral nutrition and individualized antituberculosis treatment. This allowed the patient to undergo an autologous restitution surgery of the gastrointestinal tract and to complete the antituberculous treatment orally for 1 year. Conclusion: Patients with intestinal failure due to intestinal resection due to complicated tuberculosis should be managed by specialized units and treatment for tuberculosis should be individualized when the intestinal length is less than 150 cm until the end of intestinal rehabilitation.