FREQUENCY OF DIFFERENT RADIOLOGICAL PATTERNS OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS ON CONTRAST CT CHEST

Abstract

OBJECTIVE

To determine various radiological patterns of pulmonary tuberculosis seen on contrast-enhanced CT chest scans in patients diagnosed with active pulmonary TB.

METHODOLOGY

This cross-sectional descriptive study comprised 139 adult individuals with newly diagnosed microbiologically or molecularly confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis who had contrast-enhanced CT of the chest. The study was carried out at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, and patients were sampled using non-probability consecutive sampling. An experienced radiologist interpreted radiological patterns, and data were analyzed by using SPSS version 26.0. Associations were evaluated using chi-square tests, and the results with p-values below 0.05 were regarded as statistically significant.

RESULTS

In 139 patients (mean age 47.5 ± 15.5 years; 66.9% male, 33.1% female), cavitation (59.0%) and consolidation (54.7%) were the most common radiological patterns on contrast-enhanced CT chest, followed by tree-in-bud appearance (36.7%) and lymphadenopathy (32.4%). Miliary nodules (9.4%) were significantly more frequent in younger patients (p = 0.045). No significant gender-based differences in radiological patterns were observed.

CONCLUSION

This study concludes that cavitation and consolidation are the most frequently observed radiological patterns of active pulmonary tuberculosis on contrast-enhanced CT chest, followed by tree-in-bud appearance and lymphadenopathy. Miliary nodules were significantly associated with younger age. Contrast-enhanced CT plays a crucial role in identifying diverse pulmonary TB patterns, especially in clinically ambiguous or smear-negative cases, aiding timely diagnosis and management.