A Study of Clinical, Radiological, and Etiological Profiles of Patients with Cavitary Lung Disease

Abstract

Abstract Background: This study aims to find out the distribution pattern of cavitary lung disease across clinical, radiological, and etiological variables. Methods: This is an observational monocentric retrospective study conducted in Apollo Hospital, Greams Road, Chennai, between August 2022 and May 2023. After excluding cases lacking follow-up and no clinical data, 50 patients with cavitary lung disease who underwent bronchoscopy were included in this study. Data such as demographics, smoking status, clinical presentation, comorbidities, and radiological features were obtained. Results: Of the 50 participants, the majority had tuberculosis (TB), fungal, and bacterial infections. Fungal cavities were common in males with uniform age distribution and had cavities with air crescent signs. Bronchoscopy was inconclusive in most of them and required either computed tomography or video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS)-guided biopsy to establish a diagnosis. The most common malignancy was squamous cell carcinoma, and autoimmune disease was granulomatous polyangiitis. Conclusion: Our study shows that the presence of cavities points more toward TB. One of the key measures in making TB treatment and control activities a success is identifying patients at high risk of transmission and poor outcomes like patients with cavities. However, it is important to exclude other diagnoses like malignancy where the prognosis can be fatal.