Open AccessThe role of 99mTc-ethambutol scintigraphy to diagnose pulmonary tuberculosis
Author(s) -
Prayudi Santoso,
Basuki Hidayat,
Chica Pratiwi,
Kevin Yonatan Budiman,
Hari Soekersi,
Arto Yuwono Soeroto
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of infection in developing countries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.322
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 2036-6590
pISSN - 1972-2680
DOI - 10.3855/jidc.15148
Subject(s) - tuberculosis , medicine , ethambutol , diagnostic test , sputum , diagnostic accuracy , pulmonary tuberculosis , tuberculosis diagnosis , extrapulmonary tuberculosis , mycobacterium tuberculosis , intensive care medicine , radiology , pediatrics , pathology
Tuberculosis is a significant health problem in many parts of the world. According to the Global Tuberculosis Report 2020, 10 million new tuberculosis cases were reported worldwide in 2019, with only 57% of these cases being bacteriologically confirmed. Current tuberculosis diagnostic tests depend on the quality of the sputum, leaving many diagnostic uncertainties. Diagnostic delays result in ongoing transmission and more severe, progressive disease in the affected person. This shows that current diagnostic tests are not sufficient to establish all tuberculosis cases accurately, and there is a need for a new diagnostic technique. 99mTc-ethambutol scintigraphy was recently reported as a new diagnostic test for tuberculosis, with a sensitivity and specificity of 93.9% and 85.7%, respectively. Here, we report a case of the importance of this new technique for diagnosing tuberculosis when the existing bacteriological and molecular tests failed to confirm the diagnosis.