da Cunha DL, Rossetti ML, Nunes ET, Martins EBL, Ferreira ADM, Ribeiro SC. Relevance of the correlation between tomography findings and laboratory test results in the accuracy of the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Radiol Bras 2024;
57:e20230079en. [PMID:
38993970 PMCID:
PMC11235076 DOI:
10.1590/0100-3984.2023.0079-en]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective
To evaluate the correlation between multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) findings and laboratory test results in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).
Materials and Methods
A total of 57 patients were evaluated. Patients with suspected PTB were divided into groups according to the final diagnosis (confirmed or excluded), and the groups were compared in terms of sociodemographic variables, clinical symptoms, tomography findings, and laboratory test results.
Results
Among the patients with a confirmed diagnosis of PTB, small pulmonary nodules with a peribronchovascular distribution were significantly more common in the patients with a positive sputum smear microscopy result (47.4% vs. 8.3%; p = 0.046), as were a miliary pattern (36.8% vs. 0.0%; p = 0.026), septal thickening (84.2% vs. 41.7%; p = 0.021), and lymph node enlargement (52.6% vs. 8.3%; p = 0.020). Small pulmonary nodules with a centrilobular distribution were significantly more common among the culture-positive patients (75.0% vs. 35.7%; p = 0.045), as was a tree-in-bud pattern (91.7% vs. 42.9%; p = 0.014). A tree-in-bud pattern, one of the main tomography findings characteristic of PTB, had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 71.0%, 73.1%, 75.9%, and 67.9%, respectively.
Conclusion
MDCT presented reliable predictive values for the main tomography findings in the diagnosis of PTB, being a safe tool for the diagnosis of PTB in patients with clinical suspicion of the disease. It also appears to be a suitable tool for the selection of patients who are candidates for more complex, invasive examinations from among those with high clinical suspicion of PTB and a negative sputum smear microscopy result.
Collapse