Las diferentes manifestaciones de la aspergilosis pulmonar. Hallazgos en tomografía computarizada multidetector / The different manifestations of pulmonary aspergillosis: Multidetector computed tomography findings

La aspergilosis pulmonar es una infección micótica causada la mayoría de las veces por la inhalación de esporas de Aspergillus fumigatus. Sin embargo, al hablar de aspergilosis, en realidad nos referimos a un abanico de manifestaciones clínicas y radiológicas que dependen directamente del estado del sistema inmune del paciente, de la existencia de enfermedad pulmonar previa y de la virulencia del organismo. Son 4 los tipos de aspergilosis pulmonar (aspergiloma, aspergilosis broncopulmonar alérgica, aspergilosis necrosante crónica y aspergilosis invasiva), cada uno con hallazgos radiológicos distintos. En este artículo revisamos el espectro de signos de la aspergilosis pulmonar en la tomografía computarizada multidetector y los correlacionamos con los síntomas y la respuesta inmune del paciente. Se abordarán asimismo los principales diagnósticos diferenciales (AU)

Pulmonary aspergillosis is a fungal infection usually caused by inhaling Aspergillus fumigatus spores. However, when we talk about aspergillosis, we normally refer to the spectrum of clinical and radiological findings that depend directly on the patient's immune status, on the prior existence of lung disease, and on the virulence of the infective organism. There are four types of pulmonary aspergillosis (aspergilloma, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis, and invasive aspergillosis), and each type has its own distinct radiologic findings. We review the signs of pulmonary aspergillosis on multidetector computed tomography and we correlate them with patients’ symptoms and immune responses. Likewise, we discuss the differential diagnoses (AU)

[The different manifestations of pulmonary aspergillosis: multidetector computed tomography findings]. / Las diferentes manifestaciones de la aspergilosis pulmonar. Hallazgos en tomografía computarizada multidetector.

Pulmonary aspergillosis is a fungal infection usually caused by inhaling Aspergillus fumigatus spores. However, when we talk about aspergillosis, we normally refer to the spectrum of clinical and radiological findings that depend directly on the patient's immune status, on the prior existence of lung disease, and on the virulence of the infective organism. There are four types of pulmonary aspergillosis (aspergilloma, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis, and invasive aspergillosis), and each type has its own distinct radiologic findings. We review the signs of pulmonary aspergillosis on multidetector computed tomography and we correlate them with patients' symptoms and immune responses. Likewise, we discuss the differential diagnoses.

Hipertensión pulmonar: aportación de la TCMD al diagnóstico de sus distintos tipos / Pulmonary hypertension: The contribution of MDCT to the diagnosis of its different types

La hipertensión pulmonar (HP) es una enfermedad caracterizada por la progresiva afectación de los vasos pulmonares, lo que produce aumento de las resistencias vasculares y, como consecuencia, fallo ventricular derecho. La lesión vascular es el factor común a un amplio abanico de patologías y su resultado, la HP, un cuadro clínico grave de mal pronóstico, que agrava el curso normal de las enfermedades a las que se asocia (EPOC, colagenosis, sarcoidosis, cardiopatías congénitas o adquiridas…). El interés por diagnosticarla lo más precozmente posible se debe a que, actualmente, se dispone de fármacos que mejoran la calidad de vida y han disminuido la mortalidad de estos pacientes y que existen posibilidades quirúrgicas para algunos tipos de hipertensión como la tromboembólica crónica o la asociada a algunas cardiopatías congénitas con cortocircuitos izquierda-derecha. Ante una sospecha clínica de HP los métodos de imagen son los que confirman el diagnóstico, sugieren una causa, ayudan a seleccionar el tratamiento más adecuado y monitorizan la respuesta. En la actual revisión del tema se presenta la aportación de los diferentes métodos de imagen para el diagnóstico de la enfermedad, haciendo especial hincapié en la TC multidetector (TCMD), que ofrece la posibilidad de estudiar con una sola adquisición todos los órganos torácicos. Se revisan los signos radiológicos de HP y se establecen los criterios radiológicos actuales para etiquetar el tipo de hipertensión, según la clasificación de Dana Point, basados en el estudio de las alteraciones del parénquima pulmonar, mediastino, espacios pleurales y pericardio y en el estudio de las cámaras cardíacas (AU)

Pulmonary hypertension is characterized by progressive involvement of the pulmonary vessels that leads to increased vascular resistance and consequently to right ventricular failure. Vascular lesions are a common factor in a wide spectrum of diseases, and their result, pulmonary hypertension, is a severe clinical condition with a poor prognosis that worsens the normal course of the diseases to which it is associated (COPD, collagen disease, sarcoidosis, and congenital or acquired heart disease). It is important for pulmonary hypertension to be diagnosed as early as possible because nowadays drugs can reduce mortality and improve the quality of life; furthermore, some types of pulmonary hypertension (e.g., chronic thromboembolism and those associated with some congenital heart diseases like left-to-right shunt) can be treated surgically. In cases of suspected pulmonary hypertension, imaging methods can confirm the diagnosis, suggest a cause, help choose the most appropriate treatment, and monitor the response to treatment. This review describes the approach to pulmonary hypertension using different imaging techniques; special emphasis is given to the role of multidetector CT (MDCT), which makes it possible to study all the organs in the thorax in a single acquisition. We review the radiological signs of pulmonary hypertension and the current (Dana Point) radiological criteria for classifying the type of hypertension based on alterations in the lung parenchyma, mediastinum, pleural spaces, and pericardium, as well as on the study of the chambers of the heart (AU)

[Pulmonary hypertension: the contribution of MDCT to the diagnosis of its different types]. / Hipertensión pulmonar: aportación de la TCMD al diagnóstico de sus distintos tipos.

Pulmonary hypertension is characterized by progressive involvement of the pulmonary vessels that leads to increased vascular resistance and consequently to right ventricular failure. Vascular lesions are a common factor in a wide spectrum of diseases, and their result, pulmonary hypertension, is a severe clinical condition with a poor prognosis that worsens the normal course of the diseases to which it is associated (COPD, collagen disease, sarcoidosis, and congenital or acquired heart disease). It is important for pulmonary hypertension to be diagnosed as early as possible because nowadays drugs can reduce mortality and improve the quality of life; furthermore, some types of pulmonary hypertension (e.g., chronic thromboembolism and those associated with some congenital heart diseases like left-to-right shunt) can be treated surgically. In cases of suspected pulmonary hypertension, imaging methods can confirm the diagnosis, suggest a cause, help choose the most appropriate treatment, and monitor the response to treatment. This review describes the approach to pulmonary hypertension using different imaging techniques; special emphasis is given to the role of multidetector CT (MDCT), which makes it possible to study all the organs in the thorax in a single acquisition. We review the radiological signs of pulmonary hypertension and the current (Dana Point) radiological criteria for classifying the type of hypertension based on alterations in the lung parenchyma, mediastinum, pleural spaces, and pericardium, as well as on the study of the chambers of the heart.

Cardiopatías congénitas en el adulto. Aportaciones de la tomografía computarizada multidetector / Congenital heart disease in adults: the contribution of multidetector CT

Las cardiopatías congénitas (CC) constituyen actualmente una enfermedad no infrecuente en el adulto. Generalmente el paciente está diagnosticado previamente y el estudio se solicita como seguimiento o por complicaciones de la anomalía o de su corrección quirúrgica. Clásicamente, estos pacientes se estudiaban con ecocardiografía y cateterismo cardíaco, pero el abordaje ha cambiado con la tomografía computarizada multidetector (TCMD) y la resonancia magnética, ya que permiten una excelente demostración anatómica de las anomalías cardíacas y de su corrección quirúrgica. Pretendemos resaltar la importancia de la TCMD como método complementario en el estudio de las CC descubiertas en el adulto o en las corregidas quirúrgicamente en la infancia y seguidas posteriormente. Cuando existen anomalías vasculares extracardíacas o tras la realización de cirugía paliativa, la TCMD muestra detalles anatómicos difíciles o imposibles de valorar con ecocardiografía. También resaltamos la frecuente asociación de hipertensión pulmonar con CC que pueden debutar en la edad adulta (AU)

Congenital heart disease is relatively common among adults. Patients’ conditions have generally been diagnosed previously and imaging tests are requested for follow-up or for complications of the anomaly or of its surgical correction. Classically, these patients were studied with echocardiography and cardiac catheterization, but multidetector CT and magnetic resonance imaging have changed the approach because these techniques show the anatomy of heart defects and their correction very clearly. We emphasize the importance of multidetector CT as a complementary technique for the study of congenital heart disease that is newly discovered in adults or for the follow-up of congenital heart disease that was surgically corrected during childhood. When vascular anomalies are present outside the heart or after palliative surgery, multidetector CT shows anatomical details that are difficult or impossible to see with echocardiography. We also emphasize the frequent association between pulmonary hypertension and congenital heart disease that can debut in adults (AU)

[Congenital heart disease in adults: the contribution of multidetector CT]. / Cardiopatías congénitas en el adulto. Aportaciones de la tomografía computarizada multidetector.

Congenital heart disease is relatively common among adults. Patients' conditions have generally been diagnosed previously and imaging tests are requested for follow-up or for complications of the anomaly or of its surgical correction. Classically, these patients were studied with echocardiography and cardiac catheterization, but multidetector CT and magnetic resonance imaging have changed the approach because these techniques show the anatomy of heart defects and their correction very clearly. We emphasize the importance of multidetector CT as a complementary technique for the study of congenital heart disease that is newly discovered in adults or for the follow-up of congenital heart disease that was surgically corrected during childhood. When vascular anomalies are present outside the heart or after palliative surgery, multidetector CT shows anatomical details that are difficult or impossible to see with echocardiography. We also emphasize the frequent association between pulmonary hypertension and congenital heart disease that can debut in adults.

[Radiographic findings in Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and its complications in HIV patients]. / Hallazgos radiológicos de la neumonía por Pneumocystis carinii y sus complicaciones en enfermos VIH.

We have performed a retrospective study of 61 cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) among the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) seropositive population at the 11th Health Area of the Comunidad de Madrid with microbiological diagnosis until January 1994. We made an Epidemiologic analysis of this PCP group and compared it with the Epidemiologic data of the general HIV population in Madrid. Besides, we studied the radiologic manifestations and their possible associations with several factors (sex, HIV risk factor, time of HIV risk practice, time of HIV infection, associated infections, number of CD4 lymphocytes, radiologic secuelae, time of healing, mortality, number of PCP episodes, time interval from primoinfection to death). The goal of our study is to show the Statistical associations between these variables.

[Thoracic tuberculosis in adults. A comparative study of radiological findings of HIV seropositive and seronegative patients]. / Tuberculosis torácica en el adulto. Estudio comparativo de los hallazgos radiológicos entre enfermos VIH positivo y negativo.

We compare the radiologic manifestations of chest TB in three groups of patients: HIV patients (52 cases), HIV negative patients (85 cases and 100 cases). Initial radiologic findings were similar in the two seronegative groups, even though there is an eight-year interval between both series. However, seropositive patients have a higher risk of acquiring the infection (x 2.25), of extrathoracic disease (x 4.22), of coincidental infections (p < 0.0002) and of progression of the disease p < 0.0003) than the normal population. Lymphadenopathy and miliary TB are much more common in the HIV positive patients (x 6.23 and x 44 respectively). Cavitation, pulmonary scarring, volume loss and calcification are more frequent among the seronegative patients (p < 0.03), as well as pleural disease (p < 0.0001).