Radiological Findings of Primary Multidrug-resistant Pulmonary Tuberculosis in HIV-seronegative Patients

Abstract

Objective: To compare the computed tomography findings of patients with primary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) and those with drug-sensitive tuberculosis (DS TB) who were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seronegative. Methods: The computed tomography findings of 40 patients with MDR TB and 40 with DS TB were retrospectively reviewed. The presence of centrilobular nodules, consolidation, cavity, bronchiectasis, calcification, pleural effusion, lymphadenopathy, laterality and number of involved lobes were looked for. Statistical comparison entailed the use of Student’s T test, the Chi-square test, and the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Cavities were more frequently observed in patients with primary MDR TB than those with DS TB (p = 0.007), and when present, these were more numerous in the former patients than in the latter (p = 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between primary MDR TB and DS TB in terms of centrilobular nodules, consolidation, bronchiectasis, calcification, pleural effusions, lymphadenopathy, laterality, and number of involved lobes. Conclusions: In HIV-seronegative patients, the presence of multiple cavities was a significantly more common computed tomography finding in the MDR TB patients than in the DS TB patients. This computed tomography finding may enable early detection and appropriate therapy for such infected patients, as it can be obtained rapidly.