All in one, a rare case presentation of genitourinary tuberculosis

Abstract

BackgroundThe kidneys are the most common site of urogenital tuberculosis. Tuberculosis of the urethra and bladder is caused by a descending infection through the urinary collecting system. Urogenital tuberculosis affects 2% to 10% of pulmonary tuberculosis cases in developed countries, but 15% to 20% in developing countries.Case presentationA 55-year-old male referred to us with bilateral percutaneous nephrostomy, which was done for obstructive uropathy with raised creatinine of 4.5 mg/dl. He was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis two years back and took antitubercular therapy for one year. His routine blood parameters were within normal limits. On evaluation with bilateral nephrostograms, he was found to have right-sided pelvic ureteric junction stricture and left-sided vesicoureteric junction stricture. On retrograde urethrography, there was evidence of 4-cm stricture at proximal bulbar urethra. On contrast-enhanced CT whole abdomen, he was found to have small-sized right kidney and findings in par with nephrostogram with thickened, small capacity bladder (thimble bladder). Patient underwent urethroscopy and urethral dilatation followed by augmentation ileocystoplasty with left ureteric reimplantation and right nephrectomy done at 3 months of follow-up.ConclusionOnly 1.9 percent to 4.5 percent of all cases of urogenital tuberculosis are urethral tuberculosis, and it never happens alone. For urogenital tuberculosis diagnosis, imaging techniques are up to 91.4 percent sensitive, with intravenous urography and abdominal computerised tomography being the most widely used. Diagnosis relies on a range of signs such as “caliceal irregularities; infundibular stenosis; pseudotumor or renal scarring; nonfunctioning kidney; renal cavitation; urinary tract calcification (present in 7% to 19% of cases); collecting system thickening, stenosis, or dilatation; contracted bladder”.