CT imaging of ascaris lumbricoides.

A 37-year-old man was referred to the department of internalmedicine for chronic fever, asthenia and loss of weight. He had norelevant medical history but reported frequent travels to Africa.Abdominal-CT study with contrast agent injection and oral diges-tive opacification was performed and revealed pleuroperitonealand pericardial effusions with multiple mediastinal and mesentericlymphadenopathies. Bronchoalveolar lavage and sputum expecto-ration analyses demonstrated systemic tuberculosis. Moreover, CT series fortuitously revealed a tubular defect in thecontrast filled lumen of the ileum. The abnormal structure measured around 25 cm in length and 0.4 cm in width (Fig. A -frontal view, thick minIP reconstruction), with a central thin whiteline (Fig. B,C - axial views - arrows). These features were very suggestive of an intestinal worm, most likely Ascaris lumbricoides(AL), without any link with his symptoms and his tuberculosisinfection. The central thin white line corresponding to ingested barium in worm gut