The worldwide burden of tuberculosis (TB) has increased and it can involve virtually any organ of the body. Intestinal TB accounts for about 2% of the cases of TB worldwide. The ileocecal region is the most commonly affected site, and the foregut is rarely involved. The reported incidence is approximately 0.5%. Esophageal TB presents with dysphagia, weight loss, and hematemesis in rare cases. Gastroduodenal TB usually manifests with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and sometimes with gastric outlet obstruction. Gastroscopy may reveal shallow ulcers in stomach and duodenal deformity when underlying TB is suspected, therefore histopathology plays pivotal role. On computed tomography, duodenal TB typically manifests as duodenal strictures predominantly, accompanied by extrinsic compression, and occasionally as intraluminal mass. But their diagnosis can easily be missed if proper biopsies are not taken and samples are not sent for GeneXpert testing, TB polymerase chain reaction investigation and histopathological analysis. Despite being in close proximity to the lungs, the esophagus and stomach are rare sites of TB. The reasons could be low gastric pH and acidity which does not let mycobacterium grow. But there are various case reports of TB involving the foregut. We have summarized the rare cases of foregut TB in different sections and highlighted the importance of esophagogastroduodenoscopy, histopathology and advanced techniques like endoscopic ultrasound in establishing the diagnosis.

A 39-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for treatment of a non-healing gastric ulcer. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) revealed an erosion in the pyloric antrum and a longitudinal ulcer on the lesser curvature of the gastric body. The histopathologic examination of biopsy specimens revealed non-caseating epithelioid granulomas. Acid-fast staining did not reveal bacilli. The differential diagnosis included gastric tuberculosis, Crohn's disease, and sarcoidosis and empiric antituberculous therapy consisting of isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide was initiated. Gastric lesions were subsequently resolved and non-caseating epithelioid granulomas were not demonstrated on the post-treatment examination. Recurrence was not observed during the follow-up period of 53 months.