Diagnosis of bacteriologically unconfirmed pulmonary tuberculosis (literature review)

The authors analyzed 31 scientific publications, which highlighted modern methods to the diagnosis of bacteriologically unconfirmed pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). In the article, such clinical cases are classified into two groups due to the absence of the tuberculosis causative agent. This approach can serve as a justification for choosing optimal and appropriate additional methods and techniques for diagnosing bacteriologically unconfirmed PTB. Given the fact that bacterial excretion is determined by traditional microbiological methods (microscopic and cultural) in sputum, the literature review presents data on additional measures for obtaining biological material for the etiological diagnosis of tuberculosis, using molecular genetic methods for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA. Besides, the article shows the diagnostic significance of immunological and serological tests for the tuberculosis diagnosis, as well as modern methods to the X-ray results interpretation, using mathematical methods that evaluate the dynamic X-ray imaging. A special place in the bacteriologically unconfirmed PTB diagnosis is occupied by the description of biopsy material using artificial intelligence. That is, the integration of medicine and information technology achievements allows us having a source of additional information that should help the doctor diagnose tuberculosis in difficult clinical cases. KEYWORDS: tuberculosis, oligobacillar forms of tuberculosis, sputum smear-negative tuberculosis, diagnosis, bacteriologically unconfirmed, diagnostic material, immunological methods, radiation methods, mathematical methods. FOR CITATION: Tyulkova T.E., Lugovkina T.K., Kutuzova D.M., Khabibullina N.F. Diagnosis of bacteriologically unconfirmed pulmonary tuberculosis (literature review). Russian Medical Inquiry. 2022;6(7):387–392 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2022-6-7-387-392.