title: HRCT findings of pulmonary complications in non-AIDS immunocompromised patients: are they useful in differential diagnosis?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to evaluate the diagnostic value of characteristic HRCT findings in the differential diagnosis of acute pulmonary complications (APCs) in immunocompromised patients and to investigate how to improve diagnostic accuracy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed the chest CT images of 103 consecutive immunocompromised non-AIDS patients with APCs. The presence, extent, and anatomical distribution of the CT findings were assessed by two radiologists. The sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) of each criterion determined by the combination of CT findings that were characteristic in previous studies were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average sensitivity of each criterion was 0.50 in the total cases. There were many false positives, and the PPVs of some criteria were low. Among the significantly less frequent CT findings, the frequency of bronchovascular bundle thickening was 0% in cytomegaloviral pneumonia (CMV P). The absence of this finding improved the diagnostic accuracy of CMV P.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because the combination of only characteristic HRCT findings in each disease was of relatively limited value in making a diagnosis, infrequent findings should be also added to the CT criteria to improve accuracy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Emoto
authors.forename: Tsuneo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Gouji
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: Naofumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsunaga
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host / Q000276:immunology*; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods