Thorax CT findings in symptomatic hemodialysis patients

The goal of the present study was to discuss thoracic problems in symptomatic hemodialysis patients based on the CT findings among 64 uremic patients including 34 females and 30 males of age range 14 to 83 years (mean = 61 years). We retrospectively documented complaints of cough, dyspnea, low-grade pyrexia, malaise, and weight loss. Atelectasis (79.7%), cardiomegaly (59.3%), parenchymal fibrosis-scar (50%), pleural effusion (45.3%), and ground-glass opacity (45.3%) were the most common findings. Pulmonary artery caliber was greater than 32 mm in 19 (29.7%) patients. Staphylococcus aureus (26.6%) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (13.3%) were the most common infectious agents in patients who had parenchymal infiltrations, respectively. Chronic renal failure patients may display many thoracic and extrathoracic complications. The radiologic findings in these patients were multiple and complex, but, in most of cases, imaging techniques (predominantly CT) offered an accurate, noninvasive diagnostic approach.