The top ten symptoms of tuberculosis cavity

Cavity of pulmonary tuberculosis is medically called cavitary tuberculosis, which is a common type of pulmonary tuberculosis. We all know that pulmonary tuberculosis is extremely contagious, so the same applies to cavitary tuberculosis. Family members and patients must take protective measures. In addition to external infection, the main internal cause of cavitary tuberculosis is the patient's decreased immunity, which leads to the invasion of viruses and causes a series of symptoms. Let’s take a look at the top ten symptoms of tuberculosis cavities.

Patients with cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis often have repeated bronchial dissemination, a prolonged course of the disease, fluctuating symptoms, and sputum containing tuberculosis bacteria, which is an important source of infection for tuberculosis. X-rays show single or multiple thick-walled cavities on one or both sides, often accompanied by bronchial disseminated lesions and obvious pleural thickening. Due to the contraction of lung tissue fibers, the hilum of the lung is pulled upward, the lung pattern appears as a weeping willow-shaped shadow, and the mediastinum is pulled toward the affected side. There is often compensatory emphysema in the adjacent or contralateral lung tissue, and it is often complicated by chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, secondary infection or chronic cor pulmonale. Extensive destruction of lung tissue and proliferation of fibrous tissue may lead to lung fluid or total lung collapse ("destroyed lung"). Such changes can be regarded as sequelae of secondary pulmonary tuberculosis. Cause of disease: infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Ten symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis cavities

1. Tuberculous cavities mostly occur in the posterior segment of the upper lobe tip, the dorsal segment of the lower lobe, and the posterior basal segment. Inflammatory cavities mostly occur in the middle and lower lung fields and can occur in any lobe and segment. When they occur in the anterior segments, inflammatory cavities should be considered first.

2. Tuberculous cavities with caseous walls as the main component are thick-walled cavities with low wall density. Inflammatory cavities first appear as dense, cloud-like shadows, followed by translucent areas in the shadows, and the cavity walls are often irregular.

3. The walls of tuberculous cavities include thick-walled cavities, thin-walled cavities, tension cavities, etc., and the walls of the cavities may be calcified. The walls of inflammatory cavities are mostly thicker, generally exceeding 3 mm, and a few can reach 10 mm. However, acute cavities caused by staphylococcal pneumonia (especially hematogenous so-called "bubble cavities") and chronic lung abscesses can form thin-walled cavities. In addition to the abscesses caused by general staphylococcal pneumonia, attention should also be paid to distinguishing it from abscess-type pulmonary amebiasis.

4. Tuberculous cavities generally do not have fluid levels unless infected, while inflammatory cavities often have fluid levels due to necrosis and liquefaction of inflammatory tissue.

5. Multiple forms and properties of lesions are common around tuberculous cavities, such as cloud-like infiltration shadows, fibrous cords, nodules, calcification shadows, adhesion and hypertrophy of the pleura adjacent to the cavity, and ipsilateral and contralateral bronchial dissemination lesions are common. The outer edge of the inflammatory cavity wall often appears as a large blurred shadow, which may present as a radial edge of the image of pneumonia infiltration, often spanning segments, and the surrounding pleura may have a more severe reaction. When the inflammation of chronic lung abscess subsides, the fibers in the cavity wall proliferate, the density increases, and they are often irregular, and sometimes fluid levels may be present. Generally speaking, inflammatory cavities often do not have disseminated lesions.

6. The size of tuberculosis cavities changes slowly, while the size of inflammatory cavities changes easily due to the acute nature of the inflammation.

7. It is rare for tuberculosis cavities to exceed 6 cm.

8. Tuberculous cavities often have bronchial dissemination foci; fluid levels may occur during secondary infection.

9. Tuberculosis cavities often shrink with effective anti-tuberculosis treatment and expand when anti-tuberculosis treatment becomes ineffective.

10. The cavities in atelectasis are mostly tuberculous cavities. Atelectasis caused by pulmonary tuberculosis is often due to pulmonary fibrosis and contraction, accompanied by chronic bronchial inflammation or bronchial tuberculosis, which leads to stenosis of the lumen, but does not completely block the trachea or bronchi.