Diagnostic performance of chest radiography for pediatric tuberculosis across high- and low-burden settings.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Chest radiography (CXR) is the most widely used imaging tool in pediatric tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic pathways, and remains central in current WHO algorithms. However, its standalone diagnostic accuracy has not been well established in standardized multicenter evaluations. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic performance and interobserver agreement of CXR for pediatric TB across two epidemiologically distinct settings, and to assess the added value of clinical information and lateral projections.

Methods

We evaluated the diagnostic performance of CXR in two pediatric cohorts from distinct TB-burden settings. The high-burden cohort (Mozambique) included 218 children under 3 years (10 confirmed TB, 95 unconfirmed TB, 113 unlikely TB). The low-burden cohort

SUBMITTER: Hernanz-Lobo A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12748184 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature