Table 2. CT findings of 256 patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary infections and Mycobacterial tuberculosis infections.
| CT findinga | NTM (%) (n = 128) | TB (%) (n = 128) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representative cavity | ||||
| Size (mm)b | 33±16 | 41±61 | 0.163 | |
| Location (%) | 0.178 | |||
| RUL | 52 (41) | 52 (41) | ||
| RML | 6 (4.7) | 1 (0.8) | ||
| RLL | 27 (21) | 22 (17) | ||
| LUL | 28 (22) | 32 (25) | ||
| Lingular division | 4 (3) | 0 (0) | ||
| LLL | 11 (9) | 21 (16) | ||
| Both upper lobes | 80 (63) | 84 (66) | 0.602 | |
| Thickness of the thickest cavity wall (mm, mean±SD)b | 6.9±4 | 10.9±6 | <0.001 | |
| Thickness of the thinnest cavity wall (mm, mean±SD)b | 2.8±1 | 3.4±2 | 0.003 | |
| The ratio of thicknessb | 2.6±1 | 3.7±2 | <0.001 | |
| Thickening of adjacent pleura (%) | 80 (63) | 32 (25) | <0.001 | |
| Ancillary finding | ||||
| Satellite tree-in-bud pattern nodules, size (%) | <0.001 | |||
| None | 1 (0.8) | 5 (4) | ||
| <3 mm | 79 (62) | 15 (12) | ||
| 3–6 mm | 31 (24) | 50 (39) | ||
| >6mm | 17 (13) | 58 (45) | ||
| Satellite tree-in-bud pattern nodules, margin (%) | <0.001 | |||
| Ill-defined | 92 (72) | 21 (17) | ||
| Well-defined | 36 (28) | 103 (83) | ||
| Pleural effusion (%) | 5 (4) | 4 (3) | 0.749 | |
| Number of non-cavitary nodules (≥10mm)b | 1.0±2 | 1.7±2 | 0.007 | |
| Bronchiectasis (%) | ||||
| RUL | 65 (51) | 11 (9) | <0.001 | |
| RML | 59 (46) | 10 (8) | <0.001 | |
| RLL | 50 (39) | 10 (8) | <0.001 | |
| LUL | 41 (32) | 10 (8) | <0.001 | |
| Lingular division | 46 (36) | 9 (7) | <0.001 | |
| LLL | 27 (21) | 10 (8) | 0.003 | |
| Bronchiectasis involving > 5 lobes (%) | 19 (15) | 1 (0.8) | <0.001 |
NTM = Nontuberculous mycobacteria, TB = Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, SD = standard deviation, RUL = right upper lobe, RML = right middle lobe, RLL = right lower lobe, LUL = left upper lobe, LLL = left lower lobe.
a chi-square test
b Student’s t-test