Is a radiological score needed to define the severity of Nontuberculous mycobacteria lung disease?

Abstract

High-resolution CT-scan (HRCT) plays a major role in the diagnosis of Nontuberculous mycobacteria lung disease (NTM-LD), but its role in follow-up is controversial. Our aim was first to conceive a radiological score able to quantify the severity of pulmonary involvement by NTM infection and, second, to check its association with the NTM-LD clinical burden. We also intended, if possible, to verify the potential influence of NTM specific treatment on the radiological score. We retrospectively collected the clinical, microbiological and radiological data of all patients who were admitted to our hospital from 1 January 2012 to 1 January 2020 with a confirmed diagnosis of NTM-LD. A radiological score was applied to evaluate lung involvement on HRCT at diagnosis and at 6-18 months follow-up. Twenty-eight patients with NTM-LD performed follow-up HRCT. No association was found between radiological and clinical score (Spearman R -0.05, 95%CI -0.41 to 0.33). Repeated measures analysis showed a significant increase in radiological score over time (change 1.11, 95%CI 0.10 to 2.11; p-value 0.032), while Mann-Whitney test did not show any difference between treated and untreated patients (p value 0.922). Further studies are needed to assess the usefulness of routine radiological follow-up in patients with NTM-LD.

Keywords: HRCT; Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria; lung-disease; radiological score.