Clinical Implications of Size of Cavities in Patients With Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease: A Single-Center Cohort Study

Abstract

BackgroundThe presence of cavities is a poor prognostic factor in patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD). However, little is known about the characteristics of such cavities and their impact on clinical outcomes. The aim of this study is to investigate the size of cavities and their implications on treatment outcomes and mortality in patients with NTM-PD.MethodsWe included patients diagnosed with NTM-PD at Seoul National University Hospital between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2018. We measured the size of cavities on chest computed tomography scans performed at the time of diagnosis, and used multivariable logistic regression and Cox-proportional hazards regression analysis to investigate the impact of these measurements on treatment outcomes and mortality. ResultsThe study cohort comprised 421 patients (non-cavitary, n=329; cavitary, n=92) with NTM-PD. During a median follow-up period of 49 months, 118 (35.9%) of the 329 patients with non-cavitary and 64 (69.6%) of the 92 patients with cavitary NTM-PD received antibiotic treatment. Cavities >2 cm were associated with worse treatment outcomes (adjusted odds ratio, 0.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16–0.86) and higher mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.04–6.02), while there was no difference in treatment outcomes and mortality between patients with cavities <2 cm and patients with non-cavitary NTM-PD. ConclusionsClinical outcomes are different according to the size of cavities in patients with cavitary NTM-PD; thus the measurement of the size of cavities could help in making clinical decisions.