Chest
Clinical Investigations: ImagingIntrathoracic Kaposi's Sarcoma: CT Findings
Section snippets
MATERIALS AND Methods
CT scans were obtained in 53 patients with the diagnosis of intrathoracic KS. Patients ranged in age from 21 to 60 years (mean, 39 years). There were 52 men and 1 woman. There were 48 homosexual men and 4 heterosexual men (2 Africans, 1 Haitian, and 1 man infected by blood transfusion) and 1 woman (prostitute). Nine patients were excluded because of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia association.
The initial diagnosis of KS was established by histologic study in 23 patients: 20 by skin or mucosa
Results
Four signs dominate CT features.
- 1.
Nodules were present in 42 patients (79%). They were micronodules in 22 cases (52%), macronodules (Fig 1) in 12 cases (29%), and the association of both sizes in 8 cases (19%). Nodules were disseminated and their number was superior to 10 in 31 cases (71%); spiculation of the margins was present in 30 cases (71%). Nodules were located around bronchi in only three cases.
- 2.
Bronchovascular pathways thickening (Fig 2) was present in 35 cases (66%); the diagnosis
Discussion
KS develops in about 35% of patients with AIDS,10, 11, 12 primarily the subgroup of homosexual men.3,13 Usually they have an aggressive form of the disease, with about half having involvement of visceral organs.
A wide spectrum of chest radiographic manifestations of intrathoracic KS has been described.14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 Significant variation in the frequency and type of pulmonary infiltrates, as well as nodules, adenopathies, and pleural disease, have been reported. Many of these
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