title: Chest radiographic findings in neurotuberculosis without pulmonary signs and symptoms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the chest radiographic findings in patients of adult neurotuberculosis, with no pulmonary signs and symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Department of Neurology, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan, from January 2004 to January 2006.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 100 patients fulfilling pre-defined criteria of neurotuberculosis were included. Chest radiographic (CXR) evidence of pulmonary TB was looked for in those patients and its frequency, pattern and association with the clinical grades at presentation was determined by using Chi-square test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the 100 patients of neurotuberculosis, with no clinical evidence of pulmonary TB, radiographic evidence of pulmonary TB was seen in only 30% patients. The predominant patterns on CXR were apical infiltration (26.6%), miliary mottling (20%) and hilar enlargement (16.6%). Positive CXR was found in 16.7% patients in clinical grade I and 40% and 43.3% in patients in grade II and III respectively. There was a strong association of grade II and grade III with positive chest radiographic findings (p= 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients of neurotuberculosis may have chest radiographic evidence of pulmonary TB even in the absence of pulmonary signs and symptoms at presentation. There is a strong association of clinical grade II and grade III with positive chest radiographic findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan. sidra.zeb@gmail.com
authors.forename: Sidra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aurangzeb
authors.forename: Mazhar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Badshah
authors.forename: Rao Suhail Y
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D018450:Disease Progression; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D010154:Pakistan; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D014390:Tuberculosis, Meningeal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology