[Improvement in image-diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis]

The results of experimental studies using a phantom suggest that the calculation of CT values pulmonary nodular shadows is not so reliable. The CT images of bronchogenous spread type tuberculous lesions reveal a regularity that corresponds to the bronchial branching pattern, called centrilobular shadows. On the other hand, hematogenous spread type lesions (miliary tuberculosis) distribute randomly regardless of bronchial branching. Centrilobular shadows, lobular shadows and multilobular shadows are the fundamental pattern of pulmonary tuberculosis on CT images. Shadows showing broncho-vascular dilatation as a projection of the tuberculous bronchitis are also important finding on CT images of pulmonary tuberculosis. Thus, CT is best suited for the precise image analysis of the disease.