Predictive modeling of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease epidemiology using German health claims data

Evaluation of treatment response with serial CT in patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease

OBJECTIVES

In patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD), the response to treatment is evaluated based on microbiological, clinical, and radiological data. However, little is known about the dynamics of CT findings. The aim of this study was to evaluate CT changes in NTM-PD in order to define radiological criteria for treatment success.

METHODS

Retrospective multicenter study (Hannover, Heidelberg, Gauting). Sixty patients with NTM-PD and at least two consecutive CT scans were included. Scoring for NTM-PD was performed by evaluating variables of bronchiectasis, mucus plugging, bronchiolitis, cavities, nodules, and consolidations on an ordinal scale from 0 to 3. Differences between baseline and follow-up were calculated, and patients with/without cultural conversion were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test. For paired comparison of the two consecutive CT scans the Wilcoxon test was used.

RESULTS

Comparing patients with and without culture conversion, there were significant differences in temporal changes of bronchiectasis (p < 0.001), cavities (p = 0.006), bronchiolitis (p < 0.001), consolidations (p = 0.004), and total score (p < 0.001). Nodules showed no significant differences between groups (p = 0.060). The Wilcoxon test showed significant differences between both CTs in patients with a microbiological cure for the total score (p < 0.001), cavities (p = 0.005), bronchiolitis (p < 0.001), and consolidations (p = 0.021) with a decrease after microbiological cure, whereas bronchiectasis (p = 0.102) and nodules (p = 0.18) stayed stable. In the case of persistently positive cultures, there was an increase in the total score (p = 0.010) which was attributable to progressive bronchiectasis (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Cavities, consolidations, and bronchiolitis are useful to assess treatment response, whereas bronchiectasis and nodules may remain stable despite successful treatment.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT

Cavities, consolidations, and bronchiolitis can assess treatment response whereas bronchiectasis and nodules may remain stable despite successful treatment. In persistently positive cultures, bronchiectasis showed an increase over time indicating that NTM-PD is a progressive chronic disease.

KEY POINTS

Little is known about CT changes in nontuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) and criteria to evaluate treatment response. In the case of culture conversion, cavities and bronchiolitis decreased whereas bronchiectasis and nodules remained stable. Cavities and bronchiolitis can evaluate treatment response in NTM, but bronchiectasis and nodules may persist despite successful treatment.

Prediction of tuberculosis clusters in the riverine municipalities of the Brazilian Amazon with machine learning

OBJECTIVE

Tuberculosis (TB) is the second most deadly infectious disease globally, posing a significant burden in Brazil and its Amazonian region. This study focused on the "riverine municipalities" and hypothesizes the presence of TB clusters in the area. We also aimed to train a machine learning model to differentiate municipalities classified as hot spots vs. non-hot spots using disease surveillance variables as predictors.

METHODS

Data regarding the incidence of TB from 2019 to 2022 in the riverine town was collected from the Brazilian Health Ministry Informatics Department. Moran's I was used to assess global spatial autocorrelation, while the Getis-Ord GI* method was employed to detect high and low-incidence clusters. A Random Forest machine-learning model was trained using surveillance variables related to TB cases to predict hot spots among non-hot spot municipalities.

RESULTS

Our analysis revealed distinct geographical clusters with high and low TB incidence following a west-to-east distribution pattern. The Random Forest Classification model utilizes six surveillance variables to predict hot vs. non-hot spots. The machine learning model achieved an Area Under the Receiver Operator Curve (AUC-ROC) of 0.81.

CONCLUSION

Municipalities with higher percentages of recurrent cases, deaths due to TB, antibiotic regimen changes, percentage of new cases, and cases with smoking history were the best predictors of hot spots. This prediction method can be leveraged to identify the municipalities at the highest risk of being hot spots for the disease, aiding policymakers with an evidenced-based tool to direct resource allocation for disease control in the riverine municipalities.

Development of prevalence and incidence of non-tuberculous mycobacteria in German laboratories from 2016 to 2020

Numbers of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) pulmonary diseases (PD) have been repeatedly reported as increasing over the last decades, particularly in Europe. Sound epidemiological data are however missing for most European regions. This study calculated prevalence and incidence of NTM recovered from patients' lungs in Germany, the largest Central European country, over a five-year period. It furthermore determined regional particularities of NTM species and results from susceptibility testing. 22 German NTM laboratories provided their mycobacteriological diagnostic data of 11,430 NTM isolates recovered from 5998 pulmonary patients representing 30% of all notified NTM-PD cases of Germany from 2016 to 2020. NTM incidence and prevalence were calculated for every study year. The presented epidemiological indicators are particularly reliant as TB surveillance data were used as a reference and TB notification reaches almost 100% in Germany. Laboratory incidence and prevalence of NTM recovered from respiratory samples ranged from 4.5-4.9 and from 5.3-5.8/100,000 for the population of Germany, respectively, and did not change over the five-year study period. Prevalence and incidence were stable also when stratifying for facultative pathogenic NTM, M. avium/intracellulare complex (MAIC), and M. abscessus/chelonae complex (MABSC). The proportion of NTM with drug susceptibility testing (DST) increased from 27.3% (2016) to 43.8% (2020). The unchanging laboratory NTM prevalence/incidence in Germany represents a "ceiling" of possible NTM-PD notification when diagnostic strategies do not change in the coming years. A notable increase in NTM-DST may indicate better notification of NTM-PD and/or awareness of new clinical guidelines but still remains below clinical needs.

Global Epidemiology of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease: A Review

Nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) isolation and pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) have continued to increase in most regions of the world, driven mainly by Mycobacterium avium. Single-center studies also support increasing trends as well as a persistent burden of undiagnosed NTM among persons suspected of having tuberculosis (TB), in countries with moderate-to-high TB prevalence. Cumulative exposure to water and soil presents an increased risk to susceptible hosts, and trace metals in water supply are recently recognized risk factors. Establishing standard case definitions for subnational and national surveillance systems with mandatory notification of NTM-PD are needed to allow comparisons within and across countries and regions.

Risk Factors for Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) is widely underdiagnosed, and certain patient groups, such as those with underlying respiratory diseases, are at increased risk of developing the disease. Understanding patients at risk is essential to allow for prompt testing and diagnosis and appropriate management to prevent disease progression.

RESEARCH QUESTION

What are the risk factors for NTM-PD that should prompt a physician to consider NTM testing and diagnosis?

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Electronic searches of PubMed and EMBASE were conducted in July 2021 for the period 2011-2021. Inclusion criteria were studies of patients with NTM-PD with associated risk factors. Data were extracted and assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Data analysis was conducted using the R-based "meta" package. Only studies that reported association outcomes for cases with NTM-PD compared with control participants (healthy populations or participants without NTM-PD) were considered for the meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Of the 9,530 searched publications, 99 met the criteria for the study. Of these, 24 formally reported an association between possible risk factors and the presence of NTM-PD against a control population and were included in the meta-analysis. Comorbid respiratory disease was associated with a significant increase in the OR for NTM-PD (bronchiectasis [OR, 21.43; 95% CI, 5.90-77.82], history of TB [OR, 12.69; 95% CI, 2.39-67.26], interstitial lung disease [OR, 6.39; 95% CI, 2.65-15.37], COPD [OR, 6.63; 95% CI, 4.57-9.63], and asthma [OR, 4.15; 95% CI, 2.81-6.14]). Other factors noted to be associated with an increased risk of NTM-PD were the use of inhaled corticosteroids (OR 4.46; 95% CI, 2.13-9.35), solid tumors (OR, 4.66; 95% CI, 1.04-20.94) and the presence of pneumonia (OR, 5.54; 95% CI, 2.72-11.26).

INTERPRETATION

The greatest risk for NTM-PD is conferred by comorbid respiratory diseases such as bronchiectasis. These findings could help with identification of patient populations at risk for NTM-PD to drive prompt testing and appropriate initiation of therapy.

Building a model for the differential diagnosis of non-tuberculous mycobacterial lung disease and pulmonary tuberculosis: A case-control study based on immunological and radiological features

BACKGROUND

Although the incidence of non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) is increasing annually, it is easily misdiagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). This study aimed to screen and identify the immunological and radiological characteristics that differentiate NTM-PD from PTB and to construct a discriminatory diagnostic model for NTM-PD, providing new tools for its differential diagnosis.

METHODS

Hospitalised patients diagnosed with NTM-PD or PTB between January 2019 and June 2023 were included in the study. Immunological and radiological characteristics were compared between the two groups. Based on the selected differential features, a logistic regression algorithm was used to construct a discriminatory diagnostic model for NTM-PD, and its diagnostic performance was preliminarily analysed.

RESULTS

Patients with NTM-PD were significantly older than those with PTB and the tuberculosis-specific interferon-gamma release assay (TB-IGRA) positivity rate was significantly lower in the NTM-PD group. Moreover, the absolute counts of total T lymphocytes, CD4+ T lymphocytes, CD8+ T lymphocytes, NK cells, and B lymphocytes were significantly lower in patients with NTM-PD and PTB than in healthy controls. Additionally, patients with NTM-PD had a significantly lower absolute count of B lymphocytes than the PTB group. Radiological analysis revealed significant differences between patients with NTM-PD and PTB in terms of cavity wall thickness, bronchial dilation, lung consolidation, pulmonary nodule size, pulmonary emphysema, lung bullae, lymph node calcification, pleural effusion, mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy, and the tree-in-bud sign. Bronchial dilation was identified as the predominant risk factor of NTM-PD, whereas TB-IGRA positivity, lymph node calcification, pleural effusion, and mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathies were protective factors. Based on this, we constructed a discriminatory diagnostic model for NTM-PD. Its receiver operating characteristic curve demonstrated good diagnostic performance, with an area under the curve of 0.938. At the maximum Youden index of 0.746, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.835 and 0.911, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with NTM-PD and PTB exhibited impaired humoral and cellular immune functions as well as significant differences in radiological features. The constructed NTM-PD diagnostic model demonstrated good diagnostic performance. This study provides a new tool for the differential diagnosis of NTM-PD.

Best Practices for the Management of Patients with Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease According to a German Nationwide Analysis of Expert Centers

Non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) is a chronic inflammatory lung disease caused by infection with non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). International guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations on appropriate diagnosis and treatment strategies, but there is a need for sharing day-to-day best practice between treatment centers to optimize patient care. This is particularly valuable for rare diseases like NTM-PD. In this cross-sectional analysis of NTM-PD management in Germany, medical and administrative staff from seven treatment centers were interviewed to identify best practice in the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing management of patients with NTM-PD, including related hospital infrastructure and administration processes. A prioritization led to a collection of best practices for the management of patients with NTM-PD in Germany, which is presented here. Selected current best practices included performance of regular sputum tests for diagnosis, use of medical reports, and regular follow-up visits as well as increased interaction between physicians across different specialties. Future best practices that may be implemented to overcome current barriers comprised disease awareness activities, patient empowerment, and new approaches to enhance physician interaction. Challenges related to their implementation are also discussed and will help to raise disease awareness. The presented best practices may guide and optimize patient management in other centers.

Identifying potentially undiagnosed nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Development of a predictive algorithm using claims data

BACKGROUND: Nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease (NTMLD) is a debilitating disease. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the leading comorbidity associated with NTMLD in the United States. Their similarities in symptoms and overlapping radiological findings may delay NTMLD diagnosis in patients with COPD. OBJECTIVE: To develop a predictive model that identifies potentially undiagnosed NTMLD among patients with COPD. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study developed a predictive model of NTMLD using US Medicare beneficiary claims data (2006 - 2017). Patients with COPD with NTMLD were matched 1:3 to patients with COPD without NTMLD by age, sex, and year of COPD diagnosis. The predictive model was developed using logistic regression modeling risk factors such as pulmonary symptoms, comorbidities, and health care resource utilization. The final model was based on model fit statistics and clinical inputs. Model performance was evaluated for both discrimination and generalizability with c-statistics and receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS: There were 3,756 patients with COPD with NTMLD identified and matched to 11,268 patients with COPD without NTMLD. A higher proportion of patients with COPD with NTMLD, compared with those with COPD without NTMLD, had claims for pulmonary symptoms and conditions, including hemoptysis (12.6% vs 1.4%), cough (63.4% vs 24.7%), dyspnea (72.5% vs 38.2%), pneumonia (59.2% vs 13.4%), chronic bronchitis (40.5% vs 16.3%), emphysema, (36.7% vs 11.1%), and lung cancer (15.7% vs 3.5%). A higher proportion of patients with COPD with NTMLD had pulmonologist and infectious disease (ID) specialist visits than patients with COPD without NTMLD (≥ 1 pulmonologist visit: 81.3% vs 23.6%, respectively; ≥ 1 ID visit: 28.3% vs 4.1%, respectively, P < 0.0001). The final model consists of 10 risk factors (≥ 2 ID specialist visits; ≥ 4 pulmonologist visits; the presence of hemoptysis, cough, emphysema, pneumonia, tuberculosis, lung cancer, or idiopathic interstitial lung disease; and being underweight during a 1-year pre-NTMLD period) predicting NTMLD with high sensitivity and specificity (c-statistic, 0.9). The validation of the model on new testing data demonstrated similar discrimination and showed the model was able to predict NTMLD earlier than the receipt of the first diagnostic claim for NTMLD. CONCLUSIONS: This predictive algorithm uses a set of criteria comprising patterns of health care use, respiratory symptoms, and comorbidities to identify patients with COPD and possibly undiagnosed NTMLD with high sensitivity and specificity. It has potential application in raising timely clinical suspicion of patients with possibly undiagnosed NTMLD, thereby reducing the period of undiagnosed NTMLD. DISCLOSURES: Dr Wang and Dr Hassan are employees of Insmed, Inc. Dr Chatterjee was an employee of Insmed, Inc, at the time of this study. Dr Marras is participating in multicenter clinical trials sponsored by Insmed, Inc, has consulted for RedHill Biopharma, and has received a speaker's honorarium from AstraZeneca. Dr Allison is an employee of Statistical Horizons, LLC. This study was funded by Insmed Inc.

Epidemiological trends in nontuberculous mycobacterial infection among people with cystic fibrosis in Germany

OBJECTIVES

People with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) are at risk for infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). The epidemiology and screening practice of NTM among pwCF in Germany are largely unknown and require investigation.

METHODS

We analyzed the data of the German Cystic Fibrosis Registry from 2016 to 2020 for NTM. The annual prevalence and incidence of any NTM, Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABC), Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), Mycobacterium gordonae, and other mycobacteria were determined and correlated to patient characteristics. Patients with incident MABC and MAC infection were compared.

RESULTS

The annual NTM prevalence and incidence remained stable between 7.53% and 8.76%, as well as 3.31% and 4.95%, respectively, among the approximately 6000 registry participants. MABC was the most common NTM, whereas only the prevalence of MAC increased slightly. In each year, only about one-third of all patients were screened for NTM. An association between NTM infections and Aspergillus fumigatus infection and/or allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis was observed. On average, patients with incident MAC infection were older than patients with MABC infection.

CONCLUSION

The NTM burden in pwCF in Germany remained unchanged between 2016 and 2020. MABC was the dominant species detected, whereas only MAC infections increased with time and patient age. The previously observed association of Aspergillus fumigatus and NTM was reaffirmed. Awareness of NTM needs to be improved.

[Patients with lung disease caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria in Germany: a trans-sectoral patient-oriented care concept]

INTRODUCTION

Management of patients with lung disease caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM-LD) in Germany is currently characterized by delayed diagnosis, frequently poor prognosis and high follow-up costs. Mainly due to an increased number of hospitalizations, the SHI-relevant direct costs (€ 9,093.20 patient/year) are higher compared to typical underlying diseases (e.g. asthma: € 706.00 patient/year). This less than optimal NTM care is mainly caused by lack of awareness of the disease at primary care and out-patient specialist care level, largely absent structured referral structures and limited communication between specialists out of hospital with specialized NTM clinics. Lack of incentives to support these communication pathways is part of the problem. Sufficient, appropriate and economically sustainable care is hampered by poor adherence to treatment recommendations.

METHODS

For the development of the NTM care concept, relevant professional societies and patient organizations were interviewed about the care situation. Thereafter, 20 NTM-LD patients, 5 residential pulmonologists and 8 experts were interviewed in an explorative qualitative interview to determine the current patient pathway. Based on the findings, the NTM care concept was developed in an advisory board by the authors.

RESULTS

Regional management centers should concentrate specific expertise and ensure quality of care through routine consultation and involvement in diagnosis, decision-making on treatment necessity, initiation of therapy, follow-up examinations, and determination of the therapy success, as well as adequate follow-up of patients. The referring pulmonologist should continue to provide case-specific therapy support close to the patient's home in preferred shared-care concept. The establishment of clear referral structures and case identification criteria will help residential physicians to include patients at risk in the NTM-care system early. Patients and pulmonologists without specific expertise need to be made aware of the care pathway and severity of NTM-LD.

CONCLUSION

The increased morbidity and mortality of NTM-LD patients must be addressed with patient-oriented, interdisciplinary and trans-sectoral care concept. An NTM care system with clear treatment procedures and referral structures is proposed for a nationwide pilot project.

Osteoporosis in nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease: a cross-sectional study

Background

Since nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) is common in middle-aged/elderly slender women at risk of osteoporosis, we hypothesized that NTM-PD could be associated with osteoporosis. The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of osteoporosis in patients with NTM-PD compared with that in the general population and determine the factors associated with osteoporosis in the subjects, including the serum estradiol (E₂) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels.

Methods

We have recruited 228 consecutive adult patients with NTM-PD from a prospective cohort study at the Keio University Hospital, who had no history of osteoporosis or osteoporosis-associated bone fracture but underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-based bone mineral density (BMD) evaluation from August 2017–September 2019. The E₂ and 25OHD levels were measured in 165 patients with available stored serum samples. We performed multivariable logistic regression analyses for osteopenia and osteoporosis.

Results

Osteoporosis (T-score ≤  − 2.5) and osteopenia (T-score − 1 to − 2.5) were diagnosed in 35.1% and 36.8% of patients with NTM-PD, respectively. Compared with the general population, the proportion of osteoporosis was significantly higher in 50–59-, 60–69-, and 70–79-year-old women with NTM-PD. Multivariable analysis revealed that older age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] for 1-year increase = 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07–1.18), female sex (aOR = 36.3; 95% CI = 7.57–174), lower BMI (aOR for 1 kg/m² decrease = 1.37; 95% CI = 1.14–1.65), and chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infection (aOR = 6.70; 95% CI = 1.07–41.8) were independently associated with osteoporosis. Additionally, multivariable analysis in 165 patients whose serum E₂ and 25OHD levels were measured showed that both low E₂ levels (< 10 pg/mL) and lower 25OHD levels were independently associated with osteoporosis.

Conclusions

Middle-aged/elderly women with NTM-PD have a higher prevalence of osteoporosis than the general population. BMD screening should be considered in NTM-PD, especially in older females with severe diseases such as chronic PA infection and lower BMI, and low serum E₂ and 25OHD levels.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12890-022-01991-3.

Surgical Treatment of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease and a Combination of Nontuberculous Mycobacterium Pulmonary Disease and Pulmonary Tuberculosis

OBJECTIVES

Nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTMPD) is an important health system problem worldwide. Surgical treatment experience is limited, and the safety of such operations is still unclarified. Therefore, improving our knowledge of NTMPD is important.

DESIGN

In this retrospective observational study, we analyzed the medical records of 2,432 patients operated on from January 2011 through December 2017 in our hospital. There were 20 patients with NTMPD in group 1 and 23 patients with combined NTMPD and pulmonary tuberculosis in group 2. Patients received antibiotic treatment before and after surgery as per Russian Federal clinical guidelines and individual drug susceptibility.

RESULTS

Postoperative complications occurred in 2 (10%) cases in group 1 and 4 (17.4%) in group 2, and intraoperative complications occurred in 2 (8.7%) cases in group 2. There was no 30-day mortality in both groups. After 1 year, all 40 traced patients had neither bacterial excretion nor cavities in the lungs. After 3 years and 5 years, the efficacy among 32 and 13 traced patients was 100%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Modern surgery for small NTMPD forms is safe - helping improve outcomes for ineffective antibiotic treatment. Combined surgery and antibiotic treatment are acceptable in both the short and long term.

Meeting the challenges of NTM-PD from the perspective of the organism and the disease process: innovations in drug development and delivery

Non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) poses a substantial patient, healthcare, and economic burden. Managing NTM-PD remains challenging, and factors contributing to this include morphological, species, and patient characteristics as well as the treatment itself. This narrative review focusses on the challenges of NTM-PD from the perspective of the organism and the disease process. Morphological characteristics of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), antimicrobial resistance mechanisms, and an ability to evade host defences reduce NTM susceptibility to many antibiotics. Resistance to antibiotics, particularly macrolides, is of concern, and is associated with high mortality rates in patients with NTM-PD. New therapies are desperately needed to overcome these hurdles and improve treatment outcomes in NTM-PD. Amikacin liposome inhalation suspension (ALIS) is the first therapy specifically developed to treat refractory NTM-PD caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and is approved in the US, EU and Japan. It provides targeted delivery to the lung and effective penetration of macrophages and biofilms and has demonstrated efficacy in treating refractory MAC pulmonary disease (MAC-PD) in the Phase III CONVERT study. Several other therapies are currently being developed including vaccination, bacteriophage therapy, and optimising host defences. Newly developed antibiotics have shown potential activity against NTM-PD and include benzimidazole, delamanid, and pretomanid. Antibiotics commonly used to treat other infections have also been repurposed for NTM-PD, including clofazimine and bedaquiline. Data from larger-scale studies are needed to determine the potential of many of these therapies for treating NTM-PD.

Computed Tomography in Adults with Bronchiectasis and Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease: Typical Imaging Findings

Among patients with bronchiectasis, nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) ranged between 1 and 6% and it is suspected that its prevalence is underestimated. Our aim was to evaluate differences in computed tomography (CT) features in patients with bronchiectasis, with and without NTM-PD, in order to facilitate earlier diagnosis in the future. In addition, we evaluated longitudinal changes after successful NTM-PD treatment. One hundred and twenty-eight CTs performed in adults with bronchiectasis were scored for the involvement, type, and lobar distribution of bronchiectasis, bronchial dilatation, and bronchial wall thickening according to Reiff. In addition, associated findings, such as mucus plugging, tree-in-bud, consolidations, ground-glass opacities, interlobular thickening, intralobular lines, cavities, and atelectasis, were registered. Patients with NTM-PD (n = 36), as defined by ATS/IDSA diagnostic criteria, were compared to bronchiectasis patients without NTM-PD (n = 92). In twelve patients with an available consecutive CT scan after microbiological cure of NTM-PD imaging findings were also scored according to Kim and compared in the course. In patients with NTM-PD, there was a higher prevalence of bronchiectasis in the middle lobes (p < 0.001), extended bronchiolitis (p = 0.032) and more small and large nodules (p < 0.001). Furthermore, cavities turned out to be larger (p = 0.038), and walls thickened (p = 0.019) and extended (p = 0.016). Patients without NTM more often showed peripheral ground-glass opacities (0.003) and interstitial changes (p = 0.001). CT findings decreased after successful NTM-PD treatment in the follow-up CT; however, without statistical significance for most features (p = 0.056), but bronchiolitis was the only significantly reduced score item (p = 0.043). CT patterns in patients with bronchiectasis and NTM-PD differ from those of patients with bronchiectasis without NTM-PD, although the findings are non-specific radiological features. Follow-up CT findings after microbiological cure differed interindividual regarding the decline in imaging features. Our findings may help practitioners to identify NTM-PD in patients with bronchiectasis. Further research is needed regarding the use of CT as a potential imaging biomarker for the evaluation of treatment response.