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Abstract

Purpose:  To identifyradiological findings on chest CT scan for patients with ocular tuberculosis (TB) that may provide an important aiding diagnostic tool in diagnosing those patients.
Study Design: Descriptive observational study.
Place and duration of study:Ibn Al-Haitham Eye Teaching Hospital fromOctober 2022 to September 2024.
Methods:
This study included 32 patients with tuberculosisassociated uveitis. Patients were classified into four subtypes of uveitis based on clinical examination and anatomical location ofinflammation into anterior, intermediate, posterior and panuveitis. Each patient underwent a high-resolution chest CT scan to assess for radiological signs commonly associated with pulmonary tuberculosis. Patients with known causes of pulmonary diseases or surgeries other than tuberculosis were excluded from the study.
Results:
Out of 32 patients, 24 were males (75%) and 8 were females (25%), with mean age of 50.56±14.04 years. Chest CT indicated that 66.7% of male and 37.5% of female exhibited abnormal findings suggestive of pulmonary TB. Twenty-two patients had chronic panuveitis, 7 had intermediate uveitis, and 3 had anterior granulomatous uveitis. Chronic Tuberculous panuveitis demonstrated the highest frequency of positive pulmonary findings on CT (63.6%), followed by tubercular intermediate uveitis cases (42.9%). Conversely, no positive pulmonary findings were identified among patients with chronic granulomatous tubercular anterior uveitis.
Conclusion:
Chest CT scan should be considered in the work up for patients with suspected tuberculous uveitis. Chronic TB panuveitis and tubercular intermediate uveitis showed a higher frequency of abnormal chest CT findings, particularly fibrotic lung scarring and nodules.
Keywords:Tuberculosis, Ocular tuberculosis, Panuveitis, Pulmonary Fibrosis.