The radiographic appearance of tuberculosis in patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and pre-AIDS

Abstract

We reviewed the medical records and chest radiographs of 23 adult patients with culture-proved tuberculosis and verified acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Seventeen patients, including 8 with disseminated tuberculosis, had positive sputum or bronchial washing cultures for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Their initial pretreatment radiographs revealed hilar and/or mediastinal adenopathy in 10 patients (59%), localized pulmonary infiltrates limited to the middle or lower lung fields in 5 patients (29%), localized pulmonary infiltrates involving an upper lobe in 3 patients (18%), diffuse miliary or interstitial infiltrates in 3 patients (18%), no pulmonary infiltrates in 6 patients (35%), and no abnormalities in 2 patients (12%). Pulmonary cavitation was not seen. Only 1 patient (6%) had a chest radiograph typical of adult onset reactivation tuberculosis (i.e., localized pulmonary infiltrate involving the upper lung fields without hilar or mediastinal adenopathy). Six patients (35%) had pulmonary infiltrates that may have been caused by concomitant nontuberculous infection. Six patients had positive cultures for M. tuberculosis from extrapulmonary sites only. Three (50%) of these patients had hilar and/or mediastinal adenopathy. None of them had pulmonary infiltrates on their initial chest radiograph.