Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomographic Scans of Abdominal Cocoon: A Secondary Approach to Intestinal Tuberculosis

Abstract

Contrast-enhanced computed tomographic (CECT) images of intestinal cocoon are depicted below. This patient presented to us with sub-acute intestinal obstruction due to intestinal tuberculosis. Tuberculosis infection has a high incidence in the immunocompromised individual or patients with pre-existing illness or undergoing any immunosuppression. Although many cases of abdominal tuberculosis are found to be due to pulmonary causes, when the infective organism is swallowed with the cough, abdominal tuberculosis has many presentations and can mimic inflammatory bowel disease, cancer and other infectious diseases, which causes a delay in the diagnosis resulting in significantly increased morbidity.