ABSTRACT
Intracranial fungal infections have increased in incidence in the past decade caused in part by the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. The biology, epidemiology, and appearance on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the more common fungal infections of the central nervous system (CNS) will be reviewed. The radiographic appearance alone is often not specific, but the combination of the correct clinical setting along with the CT or MRI may help the radiologist suggest the correct diagnosis.
Subject(s)
Brain Diseases/diagnosis , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Mycoses/diagnosis , AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/diagnosis , Blastomycosis/diagnosis , Brain/pathology , Candidiasis/diagnosis , Coccidioidomycosis/diagnosis , Cryptococcosis/diagnosis , Histoplasmosis/diagnosis , Humans , Mucormycosis/diagnosisABSTRACT
Forty-three patients who were scheduled to undergo a percutaneous liver biopsy were evaluated with Doppler sonography to determine the hepatic arterial resistive index (RI). The histologic specimens were graded by a pathologist regarding cirrhosis and inflammation. The specimens demonstrated no cirrhosis in 12 of 43 (28%) patients, early cirrhosis in 10 of 43 (23%), and established cirrhosis in 21 of 43 (49%). Analysis also revealed that inflammation was absent in three of 43 (7%) patients, minimal in seven of 43 (16%), mild in 17 of 43 (40%), moderate in 13 of 43 (30%), and severe in three of 43 (7%). Hepatic artery RIs (without correction for heart rate) ranged from 0.64 +/- 0.06 in patients with early cirrhosis to 0.68 +/- 0.09 in patients with severe inflammation. There was no significant correlation between the degree of cirrhosis and/or inflammation and hepatic artery RI (with or without correction for heart rate). We conclude that Doppler determination of hepatic artery RIs is not a reliable method of predicting the severity of hepatic cirrhosis and/or inflammation.
