The evolution of imaging and portable imaging tools to aid tuberculosis diagnosis

Imaging has a long history as an aid to the diagnosis of TB. In recent years, the pace of technological development in the imaging of TB has been rapid, with the arrival of ultra-portable CXR and point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) devices, as well as substantial advances made in computer-aided detection (CAD) of CXRs, leading to the WHO’s landmark 2021 recommendation of CAD as an alternative to human interpretation of digital CXRs for the screening of TB. However, the evidence is currently limited and of low quality for the use of POCUS as a diagnostic aid for TB. In this chapter, we review the current status of these imaging tools to aid TB diagnosis.