Female genital system tuberculosis: a retrospective clinicopathological study of 1,548 cases in Turkish women

Abstract

The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) has increased worldwide in the past decade and it still remains an important global public health problem. A retrospective clinicopathological study of 1,548 cases of female genital tuberculosis between 1940 and 2011 was conducted. The mean age of the cases was 29.49 years. Involvement of the endometrium was noted in 1,073, fallopian tubes in 164, cervix in 157, and 154 had multiple organ involvement. Clinically, 115 cases (7.4%) were diagnosed as having primary infertility and 12 cases (0.8%) as having secondary infertility. There was a coexistent carcinoma in 1.5% of the cases. Peritoneal tuberculosis in 21 cases and tuberculous lymphadenitis in 7 cases were seen as well. The clinicopathological criteria of female genital tuberculosis in the different organs are described, and special attention is paid to infertility associated with tuberculous lesion, and awareness of the fact that the disease is still with us is thus particularly important.