18F-FDG Positron-Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Findings of Radiographic Lesions Suggesting Old Healed Pulmonary Tuberculosis and High-risk Signs of Predicting Recurrence: A Retrospective Study

Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is a common worldwide infection with high mortality and morbidity, especially in developing countries. This study analyzed PET/CT findings in tumor patients with radiographic lesions suggesting old healed pulmonary tuberculosis (OHPTB) and imaging follow-up to find and verify PET/CT signs that may predict tuberculosis recurrence. A retrospective analysis of the tumor patients was carried out. These patients underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT in our center from 2010 to 2018. Confirmation of tuberculosis recurrence was obtained by follow-up of morphological changes in old lesions by PET/CT or CT. In total, 238 patients with a complete medical history were included in the final study, and 22 patients experienced OHPTB recurrence. We found that the SUVmax of tuberculosis in PET/CT was significantly increased in the recurrence group compared to the non-recurrence group [5.00 (3.40, 7.30) vs. 1.10 (0.80, 1.30), P < 0.001]. The ROC curve showed good discrimination, with an AUC of 0.980, and a cut-off SUVmax value of 2.15 was identified (the sensitivity was 90.5%, the specificity was 97.2%, the positive predictive value was 76.0%, and the negative predictive value was 99.1%). Both the tumor and the anti-tumor treatment can cause the patient to be immunocompromised and might further cause the recurrence of OHPTB. Positive imaging on 18F-FDG PET can predict the recurrence of OHPPT. Although there might be a false positive, 18F-FDG PET can greatly narrow the monitoring range. A negative result on imaging has high reliability for eliminating the possibility of tuberculosis recurrence. PET/CT has important clinical significance in tuberculosis management in patients with concurrent OHPTB.