Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis: Tomographic manifestations and associated complications

Tuberculosis (TB) is a re-emerging disease and an important cause of mortality. It manifests in two forms: pulmonary, which affects only the lungs, and extrapulmonary, which is defined as bacteriologically confirmed or clinically diagnosed infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that involves organs other than the lungs, being the pleural one of the most common. Extrapulmonary tuberculosis is usually the result of hematogenous dissemination of pulmonary infection and, therefore, indicates long-standing disease. The diagnosis of these forms of presentation represents a challenge due to the varied clinical manifestations, which requires a high index of suspicion, and early identification is essential to establish adequate treatment in these patients, since this presentation represents greater morbidity than the pulmonary form.