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Updated: May 29, 2026

Lung CT Segmentation to Identify Consolidations and Ground Glass Areas for Quantitative Assesment of SARS-CoV Pneumonia
Published on: December 19, 2020
Clinical characteristics and prognosis of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease with different radiographic
Chin-Chung Shu1, Chih-Hsin Lee, Chia-Lin Hsu
1Department of Traumatology, Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Rationale:
The clinical characteristics and prognostic impact of radiographic patterns of patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease (NTM-LD) are rarely evaluated.
Design:
Patients with NTM-LD from 2007 to 2009 in a single medical center in Taiwan were identified. Their radiographic patterns were reviewed and classified into cavitary, bronchiectatic, or consolidative. They were also compared to patients with cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis (TB-LD).
Results:
Of 481 NTM-LD patients identified, 62, 134, and 56 patients were categorized into cavitary, bronchiectatic, and consolidative groups, respectively. Compared with 180 TB-LD patients, cavitary NTM-LD had male predominance and was associated with higher grades of sputum acid-fast smear (3+ or 4+), prior pulmonary TB, and poor baseline pulmonary function. NTM-LD patients with consolidative pattern were likely to have underlying comorbidity, the highest blood leukocyte count and C-reactive protein, and lowest albumin. In all NTM-LD, the consolidative pattern was independently associated with poor prognosis for 6-month survival. Patients with cavitary Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC)-LD had worse 6-month survival than those with bronchiectatic pattern.
Conclusion:
In Taiwan, NTM-LD patients with consolidative pattern have the worst prognosis while patients with cavitary pattern have worse survival than those with bronchiectasis in MAC-LD. Because varying radiographic patterns represent different prognoses, understanding the characteristics of NTM-LD patients with different radiographic patterns complements clinical practice.
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