Clinicoradiological Features of Pulmonary Tuberculosis with Interstitial Pneumonia

OBJECTIVE: Although rare, pulmonary tuberculosis occasionally develops in patients with interstitial pneumonia (IP). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinicoradiological features of pulmonary tuberculosis associated with IP. METHODS: In this retrospective, observational, single-center study, the medical charts, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings, and bacteriological test results of patients with IP who also tested positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis were reviewed. PATIENTS: The study included 20 patients with IP out of 329 who tested positive for M. tuberculosis in sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cultures at Toranomon Hospital between January 2006 and December 2017. RESULTS: The HRCT patterns were usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) in 11 patients and non-UIP in 9 patients. Consolidations (80%) were the most frequent HRCT findings, followed by cavities (60%) and nodules (45%), which are generally characteristic of pulmonary tuberculosis. Consolidations often developed in relation to fibrotic or emphysematous lesions. Tuberculosis lesions could not be identified in one patient. All patients were treated with anti-tuberculosis drugs according to WHO guidelines, and 13 patients achieved a WHO category of “Treatment success.” No patient died of tuberculosis, and the median survival time for the 20 patients was 1,196 days. CONCLUSION: Although the HRCT findings for pulmonary tuberculosis associated with IP are atypical, appropriate tuberculosis treatments can lead to favorable outcomes.