Intestinal tuberculosis pseudo-tumor mimicking crohn's disease: a case report

Intestinal tuberculosis is characterized by marked clinical and endoscopic polymorphism. In its pseudotumoral form, it may closely mimic ileocecal Crohn’s disease or colonic malignancy. Establishing the diagnosis remains a major challenge for clinicians, particularly when immunosuppressive therapy is being considered or when surgical intervention is planned. We report the case of a 50-year-old Moroccan female initially diagnosed with probable degenerated crohn's disease and referred for surgical intervention. The diagnosis was subsequently corrected to intestinal tuberculosis. Differentiating intestinal tuberculosis from Crohn’s disease is crucial, as immunosuppressive therapy may be beneficial in inflammatory bowel disease but potentially fatal in cases of misdiagnosed intestinal tuberculosis.