Abstract

ABSTRACT:
BACK GROUND:
Tuberculosis (TB) a multi-systemic disease with various presentations and manifestations; is due to infection with the acid fast bacillus mycobacterium. Disease occurs in only (10%) of infected individuals, it is associated with overcrowding and immune-compromised states
OBJECTIVE:
To identity the main findings in plain chest X-ray and CT-scan of the chest of pulmonary tuberculosis patients with sputum smear positive in relation to certain factors and clinical conditions including : gender, age , smoking , alcohol- consumption , co-morbid diseases e.g. diabetes mellitus and steroid medication for more than 4 weeks .
PATIENT AND METHOD:
Across sectional study of randomly collected (100) patients all were new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis disease with sputum smear positive, A plain chest radiography was done to all of them , and a randomly chosen (30) patients (out of the same sample of the study) were examined also by ( high resolution CT-scan ) of the chest to compare the radiological findings.The sample of patients collected consisted of (68)males and (32) females , aged between (12 -82) years.The study was done in the specialized chest and respiratory diseases center in Baghdad during the period from first of March 2012 ,to the end of August 2012.
RESULTS:
100patients with sputum smear positive – pulmonary tuberculosis disease were collected, 68 patients (68%) were males and 32 patients (32%) females. From our study97 patients(97%)of total number presented with positive radiological findings whether by plain chest X-ray and /or CT-scan of chest, And 3 patients(3%) of the sample studied were with normal both plain chest X-ray and CT-scan of chest
.The radiological findings of all of the patients studied were as :Infiltrative lesion48 patients( 48% )Cavitary lesion(: 37%)Consolidation ( 32%)Pleural effusion (17%)Miliary shadowing( 1%)Clear radiological was found that 28 patients (28%) had radiological abnormalities in the right side of the chest and 25 patients were with left sided radiographic abnormality, while bilateral chest radiological finding had been shown in44 patients (44%).
CONCLUSION:
The CT- scan of chest is more sensitive than plain chest X-ray for evaluation of abnormal or obscured radiological findings. There is no specific pattern for radiological finding in the chestthe direct sputum examination is remained the 'gold standard' for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.