Chest radiography showing advanced bilateral pulmonary tuberculosis. Source: CDC

Abreugraphy is a technique for mass screening of tuberculosis using a miniature (50 to 100 mm) photograph of the screen of a x-ray fluoroscopy of the thorax, first developed in 1935. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Screening, in medicine, is a strategy used to identify disease in an unsuspecting population. ... Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for tubercle bacillus or Tuberculosis) is a common and deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria, mainly Mycobacterium tuberculosis. ... In the NATO phonetic alphabet, X-ray represents the letter X. An X-ray picture (radiograph) taken by Röntgen An X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength approximately in the range of 5 pm to 10 nanometers (corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 PHz... A modern fluoroscope. ... Diagram of a tsetse fly, showing the head, thorax and abdomen The thorax is a division of an animals body that lies between the head and the abdomen. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ...

History

Abreugraphy receives its name from its inventor, Dr. Manuel Dias de Abreu, a Brazilian physician and pulmonologist. It has received several different names, according to the country where it was adopted: mass radiography, miniature chest radiograph (United Kingdom and USA), roentgenfluorography (Germany), radiophotography (France), schermografia (Italy), photoradioscopy (Spain) and photofluorography (Sweden). Manuel Dias de Abreu Manuel Dias de Abreu (b. ... For other uses, see Doctor. ... In medicine, pulmonology (aka pneumology) is the specialty that deals with diseases of the lungs and the respiratory tract. ...

In many countries, miniature mass radiographs (MMR) was quickly adopted and extensively utilized in the 1950s. For example, in Brazil and in Japan, tuberculosis prevention laws went into effect, obligating ca. 60% of the population to undergo MMR screening. However, as a mass screening program for low-risk populations, the procedure was largely discontinued in the 1970s, following recommendation of the World Health Organization, due to three main reasons: WHO redirects here. ...

1. The dramatic decrease of the general incidence of tuberculosis in developed countries (from 150 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 1900, 70/100,000 in 1940 and 5/100,000 in 1950);
2. Decreased benefits/cost ratio (a recent Canadian study [1] has shown a cost of CD$ 236,496 per case in groups of immigrants with a low risk for tuberculosis, versus CD$ 3,943 per case in high risk groups);
3. Risk of exposure to ionizing radiation doses, particularly among children, in the presence of extremely low yield rates of detection.

Cost-benefit analysis is an important technique for project appraisal: the process of weighing the total expected costs against the total expected benefits of one or more actions in order to choose the best or most profitable option. ... Radiation hazard symbol. ...

Current use

MMR is still an easy and useful way to prevent transmission of the disease in certain situations, such as in prisons and for immigration applicants and foreign workers coming from countries with a higher risk for tuberculosis. Currently, 13 of the 26 European countries use MMR as the primary screening tool for this purpose. Examples of countries with permanent programs are Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, Japan and the United Kingdom. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...

For example, a study in Switzerland [2] between 1988 and 1990, employing abreugraphy to detect tuberculosis in 50,784 immigrants entering the canton of Vaud, discovered 674 foreign people with abnormalities. Of these, 256 had tuberculosis as the primary diagnosis and 34 were smear or culture-positive (5% of all radiological abnormalities). Capital Lausanne Population (2004) 657,700 (Ranked 3rd)   - Density 205 /km² Area 3212 km² (Ranked 4th) Highest point Les Diablerets 3210 m Joined 1803 Abbreviation VD Languages French Executive Conseil dEtat (7) Legislative Grand Conseil (150) Municipalities 382 municipalities Districts 19 districts Website www. ... In general, diagnosis (plural diagnoses) has two distinct dictionary definitions. ...

Elderly populations are also a good target for MMR-based screening, because the radiation risk is less important and because they have a higher risk of tuberculosis (85 per 100,000 in developed countries, in the average). In Japan, for example, it is still used routinely, and the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association (JATA) reported the detection of 228 cases in 965,440 chest radiographs in 1996 alone [3]. In biology, senescence is the combination of processes of deterioration which follow the period of development of an organism. ...

MMR is most useful at detecting tuberculosis infection in the asymptomatic phase, and it should be combined with tuberculin skin tests and clinical questioning in order to be more effective. The sharp increase in tuberculosis in all countries with large exposure to HIV is probably mandating a return of MMR as a screening tool focusing on high-risk populations, such as homosexuals and intravenous drug users. New advances in digital radiography, coupled with much lower x-ray dosages may herald better MMR technologies. In medicine, a disease is asymptomatic when it is at a stage where the patient does not experience symptoms. ... 48-h PPD test induration being measured. ... Species Human immunodeficiency virus 1 Human immunodeficiency virus 2 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS, a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections). ... Since its coinage, the word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ... An intravenous drug (IV drug) is a drug administered intravenously, either by an intravenous drip or a syringe. ... Digital radiography is a form of x-ray imaging, where digital X-ray sensors are used instead of traditional photographic film. ...

See also

• Tuberculosis radiology

Radiology is used in the diagnosis of tuberculosis. ...

Bibliography

• Bonvin L, Zellweger JP. Mass miniature X-ray screening for tuberculosis among immigrants entering Switzerland. Tuber Lung Dis. 1992 Dec;73(6):322-5. PMID 1292710
• Ohmori M, Wada M, Uchimura K, Nishii K, Shirai Y, Aoki M. Discussing the current situation of tuberculosis case-finding by mass miniature radiography in Japan. Kekkaku. 2002 Apr;77(4):329-39. In Japanese. PMID 12030038
• Schwartzman K, Menzies D. Tuberculosis screening of immigrants to low-prevalence countries. A cost-effectiveness analysis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2000 Mar;161(3 Pt 1):780-9. PMID 10712322