Role of Cross Sectional Imaging in Isolated Chest Wall Tuberculosis

Sternoclavicular Tuberculosis: An Unusual Presentation

Extra pulmonary tuberculosis is on the rise worldwide, and younger patients, are females. And people from Asia and Africa are at high risk. Sternoclavicular TB is extremely rare, even in countries that have a high prevalence of TB. It can be in the absence of pulmonary TB. It has a varied clinical presentation. Painless chest wall swelling can be the presenting symptom of sternoclavicular diagnosis. Ultrasonography and high-resolution computed tomography can identify the nature of the lesion and the extent of bone involvement. Aspiration from the swelling or histopathology examination is mandatory for diagnosis. Caseous necrosis is diagnostic of TB. Detection of acid-fast bacilli in smears or tissue or molecular methods is required for definitive diagnosis. A high degree of clinical suspicion is required for early diagnosis. The treatment of thoracic TB is the subject of controversy. Anti-tubercular drugs are the mainstay of treatment. Surgical intervention is basically for flattening cold abscesses and removing infected tissue, including affected bones and cartilage.

Value of ultrasound guided biopsy combined with Xpert Mycobacterium tuberculosis/resistance to rifampin assay in the diagnosis of chest wall tuberculosis

BACKGROUND

The thoracic wall lesions, particularly chest wall tuberculosis, and chest wall tumors and other pyogenic wall and actinomycetes infections, almost always present as a diagnostic challenge.

AIM

To explore the value of ultrasound-guided biopsy combined with the Xpert Mycobacterium tuberculosis/resistance to rifampin (MTB/RIF) assay to diagnose chest wall tuberculosis.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective study of patients with chest wall lesions from March 2018 to March 2021. All patients received the ultrasound-guided biopsy for pathology examination, acid-fast Bacillus staining, mycobacterial culture, and Xpert MTB/RIF analysis. The sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated for these diagnostic tests, either individually or combined. Rifampicin resistance results were compared between the mycobacterial culture and the Xpert MTB/RIF assay.

RESULTS

In 31 patients with the chest wall lesion biopsy, 22 patients were diagnosed with chest wall tuberculosis. Of them, 3, 6, and 21 patients tested positive for mycobacterial culture, acid-fast stain, and Xpert MTB/RIF assay, respectively. The rifampicin resistance results of the 3 culture-positive patients were consistent with their Xpert MTB/RIF assay results. When considering the sensitivity, specificity, and AUC value, the Xpert MTB/RIF assay (95.5%, 88.9%, and 0.92, respectively) was a better choice than the acid-fast Bacillus stain (27.3%, 100.0%, and 0.64, respectively) and mycobacterial culture (13.6%, 100.0%, 0.57, respectively). No complications were reported during the procedure.

CONCLUSION

Ultrasound guided biopsy combined with Xpert MTB/RIF has high value in the diagnosis of chest wall tuberculosis, and can also detect rifampicin resistance.

Radiological Evaluation of a Rare Case of Rib Caries and Cold Abscess in a Young Male Patient With Miliary Tuberculosis: A Case Report With Review of Literature

Rib caries with a cold abscess is a rare presentation of tuberculosis (TB) and is tricky to diagnose. It is rarer in young patients, especially in conjunction with active miliary TB. We present one such case of a 23-year-old male patient who presented with swelling over the left lower chest. Rib caries and cold abscess were initially detected by ultrasonography and elastography. The rib involvement and the extent of the cold abscess were further evaluated on a computed tomography scan, which also showed active pulmonary miliary TB. The patient was treated by aspiration of the cold abscess and anti-tuberculosis therapy. The fact that the patient had no history of diabetes, alcoholism, human immunodeficiency virus infection, or immunodeficiency disorder increases the rarity of this case. This case highlights the role of imaging in diagnosing rib caries, cold abscess, and miliary TB.

Diagnosis of Chest Wall Tuberculosis Using Fine Needle Aspiration: A Single-Center Experience

Introduction

Minimally invasive diagnosis of chest wall tuberculosis remains a challenge. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is a simple and safe method of sampling. However, previous studies have shown that conventional tuberculosis tests had poor diagnostic performance in the needle aspirates. With the popularization of molecular detection application, the value of FNA in the diagnosis of chest wall tuberculosis needs to be reevaluated.

Methods

We retrospectively studied patients with suspected chest wall tuberculosis at admission who underwent FNA for diagnosis and reported the diagnostic efficacy of acid-fast bacilli smear, mycobacterial culture, cytology and Xpert MTB/RIF (GeneXpert) when testing FNA specimens. A composite reference standard (CRS) was used as the diagnostic gold standard for this study.

Results

Among 89 included FNA specimens, acid-fast bacilli smear, mycobacterial culture, and GeneXpert were positive in 15 (16.85%), 23 (25.8%), and 61 (68.5%), respectively. Thirty-nine (43.8%) had cytologic features suggestive of tuberculosis. According to CRS, 75 (84.3%) cases were categorized as chest wall tuberculosis, 14 (15.7%) were not diagnosed with tuberculosis. Using CRS as the gold standard, acid-fast bacilli smear, mycobacterial culture, cytology and GeneXpert exhibited sensitivity of 20%, 30.7%, 52% and 81.3%, respectively. Specificity in these four tests was found to be 100%. Sensitivity of GeneXpert was significantly higher than that of smear, culture and cytology, X ₂=66.3, p<0.001.

Conclusion

GeneXpert achieved higher sensitivity as compared to cytology and conventional TB tests in the chest wall FNA specimens. The implementation of GeneXpert may increase the diagnostic efficacy of FNA in the diagnosis of chest wall TB.

Tumor and tumorlike conditions of the pleura and juxtapleural region: review of imaging findings

Pleural lesions form a diagnostic challenge for the radiologist. Whereas lesions can be initially detected on chest radiographs, CT and MRI imaging are the imaging modalities of choice for further characterization. In a number of cases, imaging findings can be relatively specific. In general unfortunately, imaging findings are rather aspecific. Evolution and extrathoracic imaging findings are important clues toward the diagnosis.

Ancient foe spectra: Case series of Mycobacterium tuberculosis presentations

Extrapulmonary tuberculosis frequently eludes assessment through atypical presentations and constitute diagnostic challenges. High degree of suspicion with aids of GeneXpert MTB/RIF can clinch the diagnosis and avoid unnecessary consequences.

Tuberculous cold abscess of the chest wall: A clinical and surgical experience. Report of 16 cases(Case series)

Background

Tuberculosis is a public health problem in developing countries. Tuberculosis of the chest wall is rare and often presents as cold abscess (to differentiate from pyogenic abscess) or pseudotumoral mass whose diagnosis is difficult and often requires a surgical biopsy.

Patients and methods

The medical series of 16 patients with cold chest wall abscess treated with surgery in association to anti-tubercular therapy were analysed retrospectively for the period of 7 years between January 2011 to December 2017 at Mohamed V Military Teaching Hospital – Rabat - Morocco.

Results

The clinical examination provided a correct preoperative diagnosis of the abscess in all cases. Five patients had a past history of pulmonary tuberculosis and three patients had concomitant active infection. There were 6 cases on the left side, 9 cases on the right side and one case on the anterior chest wall. All patients underwent surgical drainage and debridement with specimens for bacteriology and histology. It was not necessary to resect ribs or sternum in all cases (sample costal or sternal curettage in one case each). Anti-tubercular treatment was routinely administered (6–9 months) with drug combinations of Isoniaside, Rifampicin, Pyrazinamide and Ethambutol. The evolution was favorable in all cases without complications or recurrences.

Conclusion

Drainage of chest wall abscess and complete debridement provide adequate treatment. Post-operative anti-bacillary therapy should be combined with surgical procedures to minimize local complications and recurrence of infection.

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Tuberculous abscesses of the chest wall well be associated pulmonary disease or primary location.

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Chest CT scan is the best exam to diagnosis and the procedure to do.

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Debridement must be large and in association with antituberculosis chemotherapy.

Ultrasound of the pediatric chest

Cross-sectional imaging modalities like MRI and CT provide images of the chest which are easily understood by clinicians. However, these modalities may not always be available and are expensive. Lung ultrasonography (US) has therefore become an important tool in the hands of clinicians as an extension of the clinical exam, which has been underutilized by the radiologists. Reinforcement of the ALARA principle along with the dictum of "Image gently" have resulted in increased use of modalities which do not require radiation. Hence, ultrasound, which was earlier being used mainly to confirm the presence of pleural effusion as well as evaluate it and differentiate solid from cystic masses, is now being used to evaluate the lung as well. This review highlights the utility of ultrasound of the paediatric chest. It also describes the normal and abnormal appearances of the paediatric lung on ultrasound as well as the advantages and limitations of this modality.