NEW STUDY EVALUATES THE USE OF ULTRASOUND IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF CHILDHOOD TUBERCULOSIS IN MANHIÇA

The initiative is being implemented within the framework of the POCUS-4TB project.

The Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM), in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), will implement a pioneering project aimed at evaluating the potential of chest ultrasonography (ultrasound) as a tool to support the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in children. The initiative, entitled “Point-of-care ultrasound for tuberculosis diagnosis: preliminary phase (POCUS-4TB project),” will be funded by the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Care Research.

As part of this project, studies will be conducted to test a comprehensive point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) approach that combines assessment of the lungs, mediastinum, and abdomen. According to the principal investigator of the study in Mozambique, Sozinho Acácio, “the initiative will contribute significantly to the diagnosis of pediatric TB in a rural setting with high TB and HIV prevalence, such as Manhiça.”

In addition, the project aims to evaluate the capacity of ultrasound to monitor treatment response, comparing it with traditional tools such as chest X-ray and clinical assessment. The diagnostic accuracy of POCUS in relation to established tuberculosis categories—Confirmed, Probable, and Unlikely—will also be analysed, as well as the comparative performance between POCUS and chest X-ray, and the added value when both tools are used in combination.

Through this initiative, it is expected that around 250 children under 18 years of age with suspected tuberculosis presenting at the hospital for care will be reached. The expectation is that the study results may help address one of the greatest challenges in combating childhood tuberculosis—the difficulty of laboratory confirmation of diagnosis, particularly due to limitations in obtaining sputum samples from young children. This gap often results in underdiagnosis, increasing the risk of mortality, or overdiagnosis, leading to the inappropriate use of health resources.

For investigator Sozinho Acácio, “this study represents a promising opportunity to improve the diagnosis of pediatric TB in resource-limited settings; therefore, the adoption of alternative diagnostic methods that do not rely on respiratory samples becomes urgent.”

CISM and LSHTM are implementing the project and collaborating with international institutions, including Delft Imaging Systems (DIS) (Netherlands), Imperial College London (United Kingdom), Asociación Benéfica PRISMA (Peru and Bolivia), and Zambart (Zambia).

With this initiative, CISM reaffirms its commitment to promoting innovative and sustainable solutions that improve the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in children, contributing to the strengthening of scientific research and public health in Mozambique and across the region.