Correlation of immunologic status with high-resolution CT and distributions of pulmonary tuberculosis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the correlation of cluster of differentiation (CD)4 lymphocyte counts with high-resolution CT (HRCT) findings and distribution of pulmonary tuberculosis.


METHODS
Thirty-seven bacteriologically proven pulmonary tuberculosis, clinically non-AIDS, patients underwent HRCT and CD4 lymphocyte counts in peripheral blood cells were obtained within 3 days after the CT examinations. Patients were categorized into four groups according to CD4 lymphocyte counts (A >800; B 800-500; C 500-200; D <200). HRCT findings analyzed were as follows: typical, atypical, and mixed findings of post-primary tuberculosis, common, uncommon, and mixed distribution, and number of lobes involved.


RESULTS
CD4 lymphocyte counts correlated with the degree of the mixture of atypical CT findings (rho=0.565, p<0.001) and the degree of the mixture of uncommon distribution (rho=0.431, p<0.01). Number of involved lobes showed no statistically significant correlation (rho=0.209, p=0.21).


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with low CD4 levels, atypical HRCT findings co-exist with typical findings, and uncommon sites are involved in addition to common sites.
Yabuuchi
Hidetaki
H
Department of Clinical Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Notame 3-1-1, Minami-ku, Fukuoka 811-1395, Japan.
Murayama
S
S
Murakami
J
J
Sakai
S
S
Hashiguchi
N
N
Soeda
H
H
Masuda
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D016867:Immunocompromised Host / Q000276:immunology*; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000276:immunology*