Atypical Pulmonary Tuberculosis:Clinical Analysis of 64 Cases

Objective To explore the clinical diagnosis of atypical pulmonary tuberculosis.Methods The clinical symptoms,test results and chest CT characteristic of 64 patients with atypical pulmonary tuberculosis were analyzed.Results The clinical symptoms were atypical and the specificities of general laboratory tests were lower among the 64 patients.Chest CT features included pulmonary consolidation(16cases),nodule or mass(20cases),lymph node enlargement of hilus pulmonis and mediastinum(7cases),diffuse miliary nodules(6cases),atelectasis(10cases),and increase in lung texture(5cases).Only 18 of the 64 patients had atypical pulmonary tuberculosis that was located in predilection sites of pulmonary tuberculosis.Conclusion Clinicians should master the varieties of clinical manifestations and chest CT features of atypical pulmonary tuberculosis.For patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis,tuberculin test and repeated sputum smear examinations should be performed timely and fiberoptic bronchoscopy,percutaneous lung biopsy and surgical exploration should be carried out selectively to reduce misdiagnosis.