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Association with chest CT measured pectoralis muscle area and outcomes of non-tuberculosis mycobacterial pulmonary disease.

November 20, 2025pubmed logopapers

Authors

Hong JH,Baek K,Kim JY,Kim T

Affiliations (3)

  • Department of Radiology, Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center, Daegu, South Korea.
  • Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Dongguk University Gyeongju Hospital, Gyeongju, Republic of Korea; Department of Preventive Medicine, Dongguk University-Gyeongju, Republic of Korea.
  • Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center, Daegu, South Korea. Electronic address: [email protected].

Abstract

The prevalence and burden of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) are increasing globally, yet the prognostic factors influencing its progression remain inadequately understood. This study evaluates the prognostic significance of pectoralis muscle area (PMA) in predicting the progression of NTM-PD. From August 2018 to December 2023, we retrospectively collected 237 patients with NTM-PD at a single tertiary referral center. PMA were measured using AI-based software on chest CT images obtained at diagnosis at the level of mid-T4. Radiological progression of NTM-PD was assessed using a segment-based CT scoring system. Uni- and multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between PMA and NTM-PD. A total of 77 patients (39 male and 38 female) were finally enrolled in the study. Among them, 32 patients (41.2%) showed radiologic progression. The radiologic progression group exhibited more in females (65.6% vs. 34.4%, p=0.029), higher initial total (10.0 vs. 7.2, p=0.002) and bronchiectasis CT scores (3.6 vs. 2.2, p=0.001) and smaller PMA (23.7 vs. 31.2 cm<sup>2</sup>, p<0.001). In the multivariable logistic regression, PMA showed a significant negative association with radiologic progression (odds ratio; 0.832, p=0.004) after adjusting confounders. This study demonstrated that small PMA might be a potential risk factor of the radiological progression of NTM-PD.

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Journal Article

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