Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Patients With Emphysema: Computed Tomography Findings

Objective: To evaluate the computed tomography (CT) findings and clinical characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in patients with emphysema, compared with those without emphysema. Materials and Methods: Thirty-nine patients (M:F = 36:3; mean age, 64.8 years) who were diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and had emphysema in pretreatment chest CT scans were included in this study (emphysema group). Their clinical presentation, laboratory findings, and CT findings were compared with those of 57 pulmonary TB patients without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema (M:F = 52:5; mean age, 64.3 years) (nonemphysema group). Results: Fever was a more frequent clinical presentation and the C-reactive protein level was higher in the emphysema group. Among CT findings, consolidation and ground-glass opacity were seen more frequently in the emphysema group (82% and 69% vs 42% and 19%, respectively, P
Source: Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography - Category: Radiology Tags: Thoracic Imaging Source Type: research