This is called bronchogenic spread of tuberculosis and usually appears as scattered regions of patchy opacity. Reactivation tuberculosis may resolve spontaneously, with improvement of immune function, or will improve with antituberculous medications. In most cases this will be inactive disease. At times, there will be no interval between primary infection and the development of apical lung disease. This is termed primary progressive tuberculosis and will often have features of both primary and reactivation disease, such as the presence of apical infiltrates and mediastinal adenopathy at the same time.
Miliary tuberculosis is the radiographic manifestation of hematogenously disseminated infection.
It appears as innumerable tiny nodules of approximately the size of a millet seed. Miliary tuberculosis may be manifestation of either primary or reactivation tuberculosis. Tuberculosis may also cause pleural effusions. These are usually loculated and unilateral.