Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is an infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and can affect the lungs and many other parts of the body.
When to get help quickly: Urgent review is important if there is coughing up blood, worsening breathlessness, significant weight loss, severe back pain with weakness, confusion, or suspected TB in the brain or spine.
Common symptoms
Symptoms often come on gradually and may include a persistent cough, weight loss, fever, night sweats, tiredness, chest pain, or coughing up blood.
When imaging helps
Imaging helps when doctors suspect lung TB, need to assess how extensive it is, look for complications, or investigate whether TB may be affecting the spine, brain, abdomen, or other organs.
What radiology does
Chest X-ray and CT may help identify patterns of lung disease or complications, while imaging can also show TB in the spine, brain, abdomen, or other organs.
What usually happens next
Treatment requires specialist-guided anti-tuberculosis medicines, and complications may need additional procedures or follow-up imaging.
Seen this on your report?
Your doctor or the radiologist who wrote it can tell you what it means for you.
Related scan guides
- Bronchial Artery Embolization (BAE)Bronchial artery embolization can control significant coughing of blood by blocking culprit systemic arteries, but rebleeding and serious nontarget embolization remain possible.
- CT ChestA CT Chest scan is an imaging test that uses X-rays and computer processing to produce detailed cross-sectional images of the lungs, heart, airways, blood vessels, and chest wall.
- Whole Spine MRIA Whole Spine MRI examines the entire spine — cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions — in a single appointment. It is often requested when the source of back pain or neurological symptoms is unclear, or when a condition such as cancer or multiple sclerosis needs to be assessed along the full length of the spinal cord.