Evaluation of an ultra-portable X-ray system with automated interpretation for tuberculosis active case finding in carceral settings: a diagnostic test accuracy study.

Evaluation of an ultra-portable X-ray system with automated interpretation for tuberculosis active case finding in carceral settings: a diagnostic test accuracy study.

Publication date: Nov 03, 2025

The World Health Organization recommends systematic active case finding for tuberculosis (TB) among high-risk populations, including incarcerated individuals; however, many prisons lack screening capacity. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of an ultra-portable digital chest radiography system paired with LunitTB, an automated interpretation algorithm, to detect TB disease. We conducted a diagnostic test accuracy study using data collected during a prospective active TB case finding effort TB in a Brazilian prison from February 2023 through May 2024. Eligible individuals included adults (≥18 years) without a history of TB in the past two years. A Fujifilm Digital Radiography (FDR) Xair paired with LunitTB algorithm (version v3. 1.5. 1) system was used to screen consented individuals for TB disease, irrespective of their TB symptoms. Area under curves (AUC) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated to determine the accuracy of FDR Xair and LunitTB interpretation when compared to a rigorous microbiologic reference standard. We screened a total of 3409 individuals for TB disease as part of our active TB case finding study, and 3399 (99. 7%) met our eligibility criteria for the diagnostic test accuracy study. TB prevalence was 4. 1% (139/3399, 95%CI: 3. 5-4. 8%). The AUC for FDR Xair and LunitTB interpretation was 0. 89 (95%CI: 0. 86-0. 93). The accuracy of FDR Xair and LunitTB interpretation among those with any TB symptoms was significantly higher (AUC = 0. 93, 95%CI: 0. 90-0. 97) compared to those without TB symptoms (AUC = 0. 87, 95%CI: 0. 81-0. 92) (DeLong p = 0. 033). The FDR Xair and LunitTB interpretation enabled us to screen persons deprived of liberty rapidly, with a high diagnostic accuracy particularly among those who reported any TB symptoms.

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Concepts Keywords
Active case finding
Adult
Algorithms
Brazil
Diagnostic Tests, Routine
Female
Humans
LunitTB
Male
Mass Screening
Middle Aged
Portable X-Ray
Prisoners
Prisons
Prospective Studies
Radiography, Thoracic
Sensitivity and Specificity
Tuberculosis
“”” Tuberculosis, Pulmonary
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Semantics

Type Source Name
disease MESH tics
drug DRUGBANK Etoperidone
drug DRUGBANK Indoleacetic acid
drug DRUGBANK Tretamine
drug DRUGBANK Trestolone
disease MESH Infectious Diseases
pathway REACTOME Reproduction
drug DRUGBANK Methionine
disease MESH included
pathway KEGG Tuberculosis
disease MESH tuberculosis
drug DRUGBANK Saquinavir
drug DRUGBANK Esomeprazole
drug DRUGBANK Coenzyme M
disease MESH car
disease MESH dis
disease MESH Tuberculosis Pulmonary

Original Article

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