An outcome-based composite approach for the diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis: a pilot study from a tertiary care centre in South India.

Background: The diagnosis of intestinal TB (ITB) is challenging because of its overlapping features with Crohn's disease. This outcome-based study evaluated the combination of colonoscopy, histopathology, Xpert MTB/RIF and TB culture for best sensitivity and specificity.

Method: This was a four-year retrospective, observational study of 426 clinically suspected patients who underwent colonoscopy with biopsies for histopathology, Xpert MTB/RIF and TB culture.