Application of core needle biopsy in the diagnosis of epididymal tuberculosis: a retrospective analysis of 41 cases

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to investigate the use of core needle biopsy (CNB) in epididymal tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis. Methods: We analyzed 41 samples collected between January 1, 2018, and January 31, 2021, from patients who underwent CNB for suspected epididymal TB. All specimens were examined using histopathological examination and the Xpert Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli/rifampicin (MTB/RIF) assay. We analyzed the examination results to determine the application value of CNB in epididymal TB diagnosis and evaluate its safety. Results: According to the comprehensive reference standard established in this study, 37 of the 41 patients had epididymal TB and four patients had chronic epididymitis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and area under the curve of histopathological examination were 86.49% (71.23-95.46%), 100.00% (39.76-100.00%), 100.00% (89.11-100.00%), 44.44% (13.70-78.80%), and 0.93 (0.81-0.99), respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and area under the curve of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay were 62.16% (44.76-77.54%), 100.00% (39.76-100.00%), 100.00% (85.18-100.00%), 22.22% (6.41-47.76%), and 0.81 (0.66-0.92), respectively. No postoperative complication attained a Clavien–Dindo classification grade of >2. Conclusion: CNB was useful in diagnosing epididymal TB. Therefore, we recommend using CNB as a sample collection tool for diagnosing epididymal TB.

Keywords

• Clinical diagnosis
• Epididymal tuberculosis
• CNB
• Xpert MTB/RIF assay