Fig 1.
Patient selection for comparison of smear-negative pulmonary TB between Xpert MTB/RIF positive and negative.
Table 1.
Diagnostic performance of sputum Xpert MTB/RIF for smear-negative pulmonary TB.
Table 2.
Clinical characteristics of patients with Xpert MTB/RIF positive and negative.
Fig 2.
A 37-year-old woman with pulmonary TB with positive sputum MTB/RIF.
Sputum acid-fast bacilli was negative, but sputum Xpert MTB/RIF was positive. Chest CT shows consolidation with multiple centrilobular nodules in the right upper lobe. Rapid TB medication was initiated and sputum culture also showed positive later.
Fig 3.
A 30-year-old man with pulmonary TB with negative sputum MTB/RIF.
Chest CT shows centrilobular nodules confined to the apical segment of the right upper lobe with peripheral location. Sputum Xpert MTB/RIF was negative, but he was confirmed as active pulmonary TB after positive Xpert MTB/RIF assay on bronchoalveolar lavage.
Table 3.
Comparison of chest CT findings between Xpert MTB/RIF negative and positive.