Tuberculous peritonitis in Ethiopian patients.

The clinical features of tuberculous peritonitis in 48 Ethiopian patients are discussed. Thirty per cent of patients were afebrile, three fourths had ascites, and fifteen per cent had palpable abdominal masses, and therefore several had been wrongly diagnosed initially as cirrhosis of the liver or malignancy. Peritoneal biopsy, usually possible with local anaesthesia only, appears to be the most reliable method of proving the diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis.