[Computerized tomography of AIDS associated thoracic diseases]

Pulmonary infections and tumors are a major cause of death in patients with AIDS. The combination of clinical, radiological, laboratory, and pathohistological data helps to narrow the spectrum of differential diagnoses or even allows a specific diagnosis in many patients. Nevertheless, an accurate diagnosis should be obtained as soon as possible during the clinical course of the illness to initiate treatment in time. Computed tomography (CT) has proven to provide promising results in the diagnosis of AIDS-related thoracic diseases. The aim of this paper was to demonstrate the diagnostic capacities of CT in the context of particular AIDS-related thoracic pathologies. Additional information on the spectrum of pathological agents and on differential diagnostic signs is summarized.