Benign peritoneal cystic mesothelioma mimicking peritoneal tuberculosis

Our plain-English summary of Benign peritoneal cystic mesothelioma mimicking peritoneal tuberculosis, by C. Soltani, K.B. Abdallah, Y. Bouchallouf (Clinical Case Reports, 2022).

The study

• Authors: C. Soltani, K.B. Abdallah, Y. Bouchallouf
• Journal: Clinical Case Reports
• Published: 2022;10(12):e6672
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

In immunodeficient patients with repetitive peritoneal aggression, cystic mesothelioma should be considered as a differential diagnosis to peritoneal tuberculosis that must be ruled out in endemic countries.

© 2022 The Authors. Clinical Case Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

In plain English

This article was a brief case image report from departments at the University of Tunis El Manar in Tunisia describing one patient. The patient was a 22-year-old man with end-stage kidney failure related to Alport syndrome, treated with peritoneal dialysis, whose abdomen became progressively swollen. Examination found a large amount of fluid in the abdomen (ascites). Blood tests showed a C-reactive protein of 242 mg/L, and the fluid was an exudate with few cells. Ultrasound showed floating membranes, and CT scanning showed a huge cystic mass in the abdomen. The authors wrote that at first there was not enough evidence for peritoneal tuberculosis. At surgery they found a cystic mass attached to the front abdominal wall and removed the cyst completely. Pathology and immunohistochemistry diagnosed cystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum without signs of malignancy. The report did not mention asbestos and gave no follow-up. The authors concluded that in immunodeficient patients with repeated peritoneal aggression (irritation of the abdominal lining), cystic mesothelioma should be considered as a differential diagnosis to peritoneal tuberculosis, which must be ruled out in endemic countries.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: case report (case image) of a single patient
• Who was studied: one 22-year-old male patient in Tunisia with end-stage renal failure related to Alport syndrome, treated with peritoneal dialysis
• Exposure: The article does not mention asbestos or any fiber exposure. The patient's history included treatment with peritoneal dialysis.
• Main results:
  • In this patient, laboratory tests showed an elevated C-reactive protein of 242 mg/L.
  • In this patient, computed tomography showed a huge abdominal cystic mass.
  • The cyst was completely removed at surgery.
  • Pathology and immunohistochemistry of the resected cyst gave the diagnosis of cystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum.
  • The pathology showed no signs of malignancy.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that in immunodeficient patients with repetitive peritoneal aggression, cystic mesothelioma should be considered as a differential diagnosis to peritoneal tuberculosis, which must be ruled out in endemic countries.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Differential Diagnosis, Endemic.

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• Pregnancy Deciduosis Mimicking Abdominal Tuberculosis and Peritoneal Carcinomatosis: A Case Report — A. Musarò, M.P. Bonasoni, et al. (2026)
• Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma: a case report and review of the literature — S. van Ruth, M.W. Bronkhorst, et al. (2002)
• Giant benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma: US, CT, and MRI findings — A. Ozgen, D. Akata, et al. (1998)
• Benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma — J.A. Schneider, E.J. Zelnick (1985)
• Peritoneal, benign, cystic mesothelioma with free-floating cysts, re-examined by new methods. A case report — O.H. Iversen, T. Hovig, et al. (1988)

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