LAUSR

Tuberculosis is a global health concern, particularly in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe. In 2015 alone, an estimated 10.4 million people developed tuberculosis worldwide, 11% of whom had human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection [1]. At least 1 million children fall ill with tuberculosis each year, representing about 11% of all tuberculosis cases [1, 2]. Researchers estimate that 67 million children are infected with tuberculosis (latent tuberculosis) and are therefore at risk of developing tuberculous disease [2]. An estimated 1.4 million people died from tuberculosis in 2015, approximately 210,000 of whom were children [2], making tuberculosis one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide [1]. During the World Health Organization’s campaign for treatment programs, information dissemination and research initiatives, global tuberculosis prevalence fell by 42% and tuberculosis mortality rate by 47% between 1990 and 2015 [3]. Despite this, the worldwide tuberculosis burden remains enormous. HIV coinfection is also on the rise along with associated complications. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis has emerged as a new face of the disease impacting the epidemiology and posing a major threat in tuberculosis control. In 2015, there were an estimated 480,000 new cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis [1]. As the development of simpler diagnostic tools for childhood tuberculosis remains slow, imaging still plays an important role. Medical imaging has significantly enhanced knowledge of pathophysiology, disease behavior and progression. Although the typical imaging patterns and characteristics of tuberculous disease have remained the same through the years, there is now a better understanding of how they parallel the patient’s clinical condition. Still, continued efforts have to be made to establish standards, not only for the use of various imaging modalities, but also for the use of diverse terminologies available in radiologic interpretation of the different phases and manifestations of childhood tuberculosis. There have been many published articles on childhood tuberculosis imaging, but it is seldom that a consolidated group of tuberculosis-related articles is made available for easy reference. In this regard, the World Federation of Pediatric Imaging’s international tuberculosis team undertook this very special project, a M i n i s ymp o s i um o n Im a g i n g o f C h i l d h o o d Tuberculosis. Known childhood tuberculosis imaging experts, especially those in endemic countries, have worked together to author these articles and provide a more global perspective: The article written by Concepcion and colleagues [4] aims to promote a standardized approach to clinical and radiographic classification for patients suspected or diagnosed with childhood tuberculosis. Standardized terms are proposed to diminish confusion and miscommunication, which may affect management. Kritsaneepaiboon and colleagues [5] present the spectrum of multimodality imaging findings of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in children. It covers the manifestations of most common extrathoracic locations, but in a concise well-consolidated article. Sodhi and his coauthors [6] reiterate the importance of imaging in childhood tuberculosis and its global impact, especially in lower resource settings. The emerging role of * Bernard F. Laya [email protected]