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Lobar Pneumonia with Bronchial Narrowing: A Typical Sign of Primary Tuberculosis in Children

  • Pediatrics (H Lederman, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Community-acquired pneumonia is most prevalent in children with less than 5 years of age, and this age group is also at the highest risk for pulmonary tuberculosis.

Objective

Our objective is to describe bronchial narrowing in chest X-rays, with patients with image of pneumonia, as a typical radiographic sign of primary tuberculosis in children.

Materials and Methods

Chest radiographic findings of nine patients (five boys and four girls; age range 9–30 months; mean age 17.6 months) treated for community-acquired pneumonia with no clinical improvement were studied retrospectively.

Recent Finding

Chest radiographs, in all cases, showed lobar pneumonia with bronchial narrowing. Bronchial narrowing was found either in the main right or left bronchi and was ipsilateral to the lobar consolidation in all cases. Positive tests or epidemiology for tuberculosis was obtained, and patient was treated for tuberculosis with improvement. At the end of treatment, follow-up radiographs were normal, including resolution of bronchial narrowing.

Summary

In the setting of community-acquired pneumonia in children under 3 years of age with no clinical improvement after empiric treatment, a chest radiograph showing bronchial narrowing should raise suspicion for a tuberculosis etiology and elicit change to both diagnostic and therapeutic management.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Federal University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Rodrigo Regacini, Jose Luiz Schiavon & Henrique M. Lederman

Authors
  1. Rodrigo Regacini
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  2. Jose Luiz Schiavon
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  3. Henrique M. Lederman
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rodrigo Regacini.

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Conflict of interest

Rodrigo Regacini and Jose Luiz Schiavon each declare no potential conflicts of interest. Henrique M. Lederman is a section editor for Current Radiology Reports.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

This article is part of the Topical collection on Pediatrics.

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Regacini, R., Schiavon, J.L. & Lederman, H.M. Lobar Pneumonia with Bronchial Narrowing: A Typical Sign of Primary Tuberculosis in Children. Curr Radiol Rep 5, 12 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40134-017-0200-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40134-017-0200-5

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