Role of High-resolution Computerized Tomography (HRCT) of the Chest in Granulomatous Uveitis: A Tertiary Uveitis Clinic Experience from India

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the role of high-resolution computerized tomography (HRCT) of the chest as a diagnostic tool in granulomatous uveitis.

Design: Observational case series.

Methods: Fifty-eight consecutive patients were evaluated with chest HRCT based on clinical diagnosis of granulomatous uveitis, which was further classified using SUN classification as anterior, intermediate, posterior, and panuveitis. Clinical profile, laboratory findings, chest radiographs, and chest HRCT scans were analyzed.

Results: Of 58 patients, 35 were males and 23 females with mean age of 43.5 years. Forty-seven patients had bilateral and 11 had unilateral involvement. Eighty-one percent of patients referred for chest HRCT demonstrated signs suggestive of tuberculosis, 8.6% patients showed signs suggestive of sarcoidosis, and 10.3% patients showed normal chest HRCT.

Conclusion: Chest HRCT was found to be a useful tool in the diagnosis of granulomatous uveitis, especially tuberculosis associated uveitis, and can aid in therapeutic decisions.

KEYWORDS::

• choroiditis
• computerized tomography
• sarcoidosis
• tuberculosis
• uveitis

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.