Cannonballs in the Lung—A Rare Presentation

Abstract

Pulmonary tuberculosis is one of the most prevalent and rampant communicable infectious diseases in the Southeast Asian region. Often the disease has an unusual presentation that diverts our attention toward other diseases. We describe such a case, wherein a 54-year-old male, chronic smoker and a known patient of chronic obstructive airway disease presented with fever, weight loss, and radiographic evidence showing well-circumscribed lesions resembling cannonballs. This was suggestive of secondaries in the lung, which on further diagnosis was determined to be disseminated tuberculosis. The patient was treated with antituberculous medication, following which his symptoms resolved, as evidenced by a radiological examination of his primary disease.