Genitourinary Tuberculosis: A Comprehensive Review of a Neglected Manifestation in Low-Endemic Countries
Guglielmo Mantica,
Francesca Ambrosini,
Niccolò Riccardi,
Enrico Vecchio,
Lorenzo Rigatti,
Aldo Franco De Rose,
André Van der Merwe,
Carlo Terrone,
Riccardo Bartoletti,
Gernot Bonkat
Affiliations
Guglielmo Mantica
Department of Urology, Policlinico San Martino Hospital, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy
Francesca Ambrosini
Department of Urology, Policlinico San Martino Hospital, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy
Niccolò Riccardi
Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Enrico Vecchio
Department of Urology, Policlinico San Martino Hospital, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy
Lorenzo Rigatti
Department of Urology, San Raffaele Hospital, San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy
Aldo Franco De Rose
Department of Urology, Policlinico San Martino Hospital, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy
André Van der Merwe
Department of Urology, Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town 7505, South Africa
Carlo Terrone
Department of Urology, Policlinico San Martino Hospital, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy
Riccardo Bartoletti
Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Gernot Bonkat
Alta uro AG, Merian Iselin Klinik, Center of Biomechanics & Calorimetry, University of Basel, 4123 Basel, Switzerland
Genitourinary tuberculosis (GUTB) represents a disease often underestimated by urological specialists, particularly in settings such as the European one, where the pathology is less frequent. Similar to other uncommon diseases at these latitudes, GUTB is a neglected clinical problem. In this light, the aim of this review is to give a comprehensive overview of GUTB in order to provide a useful tool for urologists who seldomly manage this disease. A non-systematic review of genitourinary tuberculosis was performed on relevant articles published from January 1990 to July 2021 using PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. GUTB represents up to a quarter of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) cases. Diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical work-up have been deeply reviewed and summarized. The mass migration of refugees to Europe as well as the ease of international travel is gradually leading to an upsurge in urological diseases such as GUTB, which were previously only rarely encountered in some European countries. The poor TB knowledge of European urologists should be improved through medical education courses, webinars or telematic means.
