Thoracic Ultrasonography Findings Pathognomonicof Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Case of Baraka HealthCenter, Mathare Slum - Kenya

Chest ultrasonography, intended for lung, pleura, and mediastinum is a safe, non-invasive medical imaging modality in both affluent and resource-limited settings in respiratory diseases detection including pulmonary Tuberculosis. The purpose of this study is to inform clinicians and policymakers on efficient use of thoracic ultrasound in the screening of tuberculosis and to enrich the existing literature on ultrasonography use in pulmonary Tuberculosis management. This was a hospital based cross-sectional study at Baraka Health center-Mathare slum. Patients presenting at the outpatient section irrespective of age were screened to be included in the study. On the first day, participants with suggestive symptoms of tuberculosis were screened by performing a comprehensive respiratory examination, measuring erythrocyte sedimentation rate and performing chest ultrasonography. Exhaustion of study screening protocols ushered in use of Kenya's ministry of health guidelines in TB diagnosis including a chest x-ray interpreted by a radiologist. Out of 100 participants who met the inclusion criteria 80 (80%) provided consent to be enrolled into the study. Majority were male 63.8% with a mean age of 35.83 15.6 years. The most prominent thoracic ultrasound features identified were lung cavitation and consolidation (52.8%) pleural thickening (77.4%) and sub-pleural nodes (52.8%). In conclusion, Thoracic ultrasound is a safe and effective procedure to visualize pleural space, mediastinum and lung parenchyma in pulmonary tuberculosis screening. Pleural thickening can be identified by ultrasound in more than 77.4% of PTB patients. For precise diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis other supporting investigation are recommended to complement thoracic ultrasonography.