Chest ultrasound compared to chest X-ray for pediatric pulmonary tuberculosis

Abstract

Introduction: Chest ultrasound is increasingly used to radiologically diagnose childhood pneumonia, but there are limited data on its use for pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Aim: Compare chest ultrasound with a chest X-ray (CXR) findings. Methods: Children (up to 13 years) with suspected PTB were enrolled. Bedside chest ultrasound findings were compared to CXR. The analysis was stratified by PTB category: confirmed PTB (microbiologically confirmed), unconfirmed PTB (clinical diagnosis with negative microbiological tests), or unlikely PTB (other respiratory diseases with improvement without tuberculosis treatment). Results: One hundred fifty-nine children were enrolled (57% boys, median age 26.6 months [interquartile range 15.1-59.3]). Ultrasound detected abnormalities in 72% (n = 114), CXR in 56% (n = 89), P