Utility of CT scan for the diagnosis of chest wall tuberculosis

The objective of this study was to determine the utility of CT scan finding s for the diagnosis of chest wall tuberculosis, excluding the spine. We rev iewed 15 patients (13 Africans and 2 Indians) With chest wall tuberculosis, retrospectively. The radiologic examination consisted of a plain X-ray and a CT scan of the chest fur each patient. The site of disease was the rib i n 13 patients or the body of the sternum in 2 patients. One rib was involve d in II patients, 2 contiguous ribs (one site) in 2 patients, and bilateral disease (two sites) was observed in the remaining pa patient. The 14 rib s ites involved the posterior are or costovertebral joint in II cases. the an terior are in 2 cases, and the anterior and middle are in 1 case. The CT sc an findings were an abscess (n = 14) or a soft tissue mass (n = 2), osteoly tic lesions (n = 13), periosteal reaction (n = 10), and sequestrum (n = 14) . Bone sclerosis was observed only in 3 cases of rib involvement. The assoc iation of a soft tissue abscess, an osteolytic lesion, and sequestrum, espe cially in immigrants to France, suggests chest wall tuberculosis CT scan.