Derivation of a high-resolution CT-based, semi-automated radiographic score in tuberculosis and its relationship to bacillary load and antitubercular therapy

Extract Efforts to curb the tuberculosis (TB) pandemic remain hindered by a lack of objective measures to quantify disease severity and track treatment success that are valid in both HIV-1-infected and -uninfected TB patients. Ralph et al. [1] developed a promising radiographic scoring system, with baseline scores being predictive of sputum smear conversion at 2 months, but it is reliant on skilled readers and has not been systematically validated in predominantly HIV-infected study populations with varying CD4 counts. Superior to conventional chest radiography, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is a highly sensitive tool to track endobronchial TB disease extent [2].
Source: European Respiratory Journal - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Respiratory infections and tuberculosis Research Letters Source Type: research