Effect of Nucleic Acid Amplification for Mycobacterium tuberculosis on Clinical Decision Making in Suspected Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis

The NAAT proved to be a sensitive and specific test for detection of M tuberculosis in extrapulmonary specimens but did not weigh heavily in clinical decision making at our hospital. Judicious use of these tests may improve the accuracy and speed of diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, while helping to eliminate unnecessary antituberculous treatment in patients without tuberculosis.