Effectiveness and Cardiac Safety of Bedaquiline-Based Therapy for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Bedaquiline improves treatment outcomes in patients with rifampin-resistant (RR) tuberculosis but prolongs the QT interval and carries a black-box warning from the US Food and Drug Administration. The World Health Organization recommends that all patients with RR tuberculosis receive a regimen containing bedaquiline, yet a phase 3 clinical trial demonstrating its cardiac safety has not been published.

Methods: We conducted an observational cohort study of patients with RR tuberculosis from 3 provinces in South Africa who received regimens containing bedaquiline.

A Retrospective Multi-Site Academic Center Analysis of Pneumothorax and Associated Risk Factors after CT-Guided Percutaneous Lung Biopsy.

Purpose: To assess the risk factors, incidence and significance of pneumothorax in patients undergoing CT-guided lung biopsy.

Methods: Patients who underwent a CT-guided lung biopsy between August 10, 2010 and September 19, 2016 were retrospectively identified. Imaging was assessed for immediate and delayed pneumothorax.

CT Scans Obtained for Nonpulmonary Indications: Associated Respiratory Findings of COVID-19.

Background Atypical manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are being encountered as the pandemic unfolds, leading to non-chest CT scans that may uncover unsuspected pulmonary disease. Purpose To investigate patients with primary nonrespiratory symptoms who underwent CT of the abdomen or pelvis or CT of the cervical spine or neck with unsuspected findings highly suspicious for pulmonary COVID-19. Materials and Methods This retrospective study from March 10, 2020, to April 6, 2020, involved three institutions, two in a region considered a hot spot (area of high prevalence) for COVID-19.

Cracking the Opium Den: Cardiothoracic Manifestations of Drug Abuse.

Recreational drug use is increasing worldwide, with emergency room visits and total deaths from drug overdose rising in recent years. Complications from prescription and recreational drug use may result from the biochemical effects of the drugs themselves, impurities mixed with substances, or from causes related to the method of drug administration. The presentation of drug overdose may be complex due to multisubstance abuse, including cigarette smoking and alcoholism, and can impact any organ system.

High prevalence of pulmonary findings in computed tomographies of HTLV-1-infected patients with and without adult-T cell leukemia/lymphoma - implications for staging.

Lung involvement has been reported in HTLV-1 carriers and in patients with ATLL. Whether there are differences in the pattern of lung involvement between ATLL and HTLV carriers in North American patients is unknown. We aimed to compare CT pulmonary findings among patients with HTLV-1 infection with and without ATLL.

Ventricular Myocardial Fat: An Unexpected Biomarker for Long-term Survival?

Purpose: To examine the association between myocardial fat, a poorly understood finding frequently observed on non-contrast CT, and all-cause mortality in patients with and without a history of prior MI.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective cohort from a diverse urban academic center was derived from chronic myocardial infarction (MI) patients (n = 265) and three age-matched patients without MI (n = 690) who underwent non-contrast chest CT between 1 January 2005-31 December 2008. CT images were reviewed for left and right ventricular fat.

Patent foramen ovale in patients with pulmonary embolism: A prognostic factor on CT pulmonary angiography?

Background: Patent foramen ovale (PFO) in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) represents a risk factor for mortality, but this has not been evaluated for CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA). The purpose of the present study was to assess the relationship between PFO and mortality in patients with acute PE diagnosed on CTPA.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study included 268 adults [173 women, mean age 61 (range 22-98) years] diagnosed with acute PE on non-ECG-gated 64-slice CTPA in 2012 at our medical center.

Can Discrepancies Between Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography and Cardiac Catheterization in High-Risk Patients be Overcome With Consensus Reading?

Objective: To assess the incidence and cause of discrepancies between coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) and catheterization in a high-risk, diverse, predominantly overweight inner-city population.

Methods: Ninety-two patients who underwent coronary CTA and catheterization on March 2007 to December 2012 were retrospectively identified. Clinical coronary CTA interpretation and reinterpretation by a review panel was compared with catheterization results.

CT pulmonary angiography in pregnant and postpartum women: low yield, high dose.

Purpose: To compare the diagnostic utility of computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) in pregnant/postpartum women with age-matched controls.

Materials: We performed a retrospective case-control series of pregnant/postpartum women and control women who underwent CTPA from 2008 to 2011.

Results: The study included 34 pregnant women, 16 postpartum women, and 50 controls.

Can left ventricular function be assessed on non-ECG-gated CT?

To evaluate whether non-gated computed tomography (CT) can assess left ventricular (LV) function, 101 patients with both CT and echocardiography were selected, with ejection fraction <50% on echocardiography used as a reference standard. CTs were blindly reevaluated, and qualitative assessment of LV dysfunction on CT correlated with echocardiographic dysfunction, odds ratio of 21.0 (95% confidence interval=6.

Chest radiograph findings and time to culture conversion in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and HIV in Tugela Ferry, South Africa.

Background: The majority of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in South Africa are co-infected with HIV, but the radiographic features of MDR-TB and their relationship with time to sputum culture conversion in the antiretroviral therapy era have not been described.

Methods: We reviewed baseline chest radiographs for 56 patients with MDR-TB from a rural area of South Africa. We analyzed the association of cavities, consolidation, pleural effusion and hilar lymphadenopathy with time to sputum culture conversion, adjusting for HIV status, baseline sputum smear and CD4 count.

Acute aortic syndromes: a second look at dual-phase CT.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to assess the diagnostic performance of the unenhanced and contrast-enhanced phases separately in patients imaged with CT for suspected acute aortic syndromes.

Materials And Methods: All adults (n = 2868) presenting to our emergency department from January 1, 2006, through August 1, 2010, who underwent unenhanced and contrast-enhanced CT of the chest and abdomen for suspected acute aortic syndrome were retrospectively identified. Forty-five patients with acute aortic syndrome and 45 healthy control subjects comprised the study population (55 women; mean age, 61 ± 16 years).

Computed tomography evaluation of right heart dysfunction in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

Purpose: To evaluate the role of qualitative assessment of right heart dysfunction on multidetector computed tomography (CT) in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

Methods: Seventy-four consecutive adults with pulmonary embolism diagnosed on multidetector nongated CT were identified between July 2002 and March 2004. There were 47 women and 27 men, with a mean age of 62 years.

Pulmonary infarction: spectrum of findings on multidetector helical CT.

Objective: Despite the dual blood supply to the lung, acute pulmonary embolism (PE) can lead to a spectrum of ischemic injury to the lung resulting in infarction and hemorrhage. In this series we systematically describe the spectrum of CT findings and clinical correlates of pulmonary infarction in patients with PE.

Methods: We retrospectively identified 24 consecutive adults with pulmonary infarction on multidetector CT between July 2002 and March 2004.