Deepgoing study on intrathoracic tuberculous lymphadenitis in adults using multidetector CT

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Pulmonology

Background:

• Limited studies exist on adult intrathoracic tuberculous lymphadenitis using conventional CT.
• Multidetector CT (MDCT) offers potential for improved imaging in this condition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the MDCT characteristics of intrathoracic tuberculous lymphadenitis in adults.
• To correlate MDCT findings with clinical symptoms and pathological changes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of MDCT findings in 42 adult patients.
• Evaluation of lymph node location, size, number, shape, margins, and density on precontrast and enhanced images.
• Correlation of CT results with clinical and pathological data (n=37).

Main Results:

• MDCT identified 185 affected lymph nodes, predominantly in regions 4R, 2R, 7, and 10R, with multi-regional involvement in 34 patients.
• Most nodes (72.2%) were oval/round with clear margins and homogeneous density (78.4%) precontrast.
• Seven enhancement patterns observed, correlating with pathological findings (hyperplasia, granulomas, caseous necrosis, liquefaction) and clinical symptom severity.

Conclusions:

• MDCT reveals characteristic features of adult intrathoracic tuberculous lymphadenitis: multi-regional lymph node involvement, oval/round shape, clear margins, homogeneous precontrast density, and diverse enhancement patterns.
• MDCT findings closely correlate with clinical symptoms and can reflect underlying pathological changes.