Radiologic Pattern of Sputum-positive Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) among Immunocompetent Patients in Gwagwalada, Nigeria

Background: The radiologic knowledge of tuberculosis-associated lung disease is an essential tool in the clinical diagnosis and management of tuberculosis, a disease that is still a big challenge to Nigeria and Africa at large. Chest radiogram is cheap and readily available, and usually the first imaging modality for the evaluation of patients with sputum positive pulmonary tuberculosis.

Objective: To determine the radiologic pattern of sputum-positive PTB among immunocompetent patients in Gwagwalada, Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional study spanned sixteen months, involving one hundred adult patients recently clinically diagnosed of pulmonary tuberculosis were recruited and underwent chest radiographic examination with 14 × 17-inch or 17 × 17-inch image sizes for evaluation of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Results: Of the 100 patients that underwent chest radiographs, ten patients (10.0%) had normal chest radiographs while varying degree of abnormal chest radiographic findings were seen in the remaining 90 (90%) patients. Fibrotic lesion were present in 45 (45.0%) of patients. There were 60 male and 40 female patients with eight males with normal chest radiogram. Fibrosis was the predominant radiological feature with 45 (45.0%) of all the patients examined in this study. The prevalence of other findings was: consolidation, 11 (11.0%); lung collapse, (11.0%); cavitation, (11.0%); pleural effusion, (7.0%) and lung infiltrate, (5.0%). Multiple lung cavities and military lesions were not observed in any patient. Cavities were present in 11 (11.0%) and all were solitary and located in the upper lung zone(s).

Conclusion: Pulmonary tuberculosis is endemic in our environment and evaluation of radiology features in immunocompetent individual is encouraged in developing countries. Sequelae of tuberculosis such as fibrosis was frequently seen in this study which points to late presentation, therefore more public health advocacy are needed against pulmonary tuberculosis.