S. Morassut et al., HIV-ASSOCIATED HUMAN-HERPESVIRUS 8-POSITIVE PRIMARY LYMPHOMATOUS RADIOLOGIC FINDINGS IN 6 PATIENTS, Radiology, 205(2), 1997, pp. 459-463
PURPOSE: To define the imaging features of body cavity-based lymphoma
(BCBL) related to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This is a pe
culiar type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma harboring infection by human herpe
svirus 8 (HHV-8) and displaying a peculiar tropism for the serous body
cavities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: At diagnosis of BCBL, six consecutiv
e patients were investigated with radiography of the chest and convent
ional computed tomography (CT) of the chest and abdomen. For all patie
nts, clinical features and results of biologic characterization of the
lymphoma were also available, RESULTS: In all patients, chest radiogr
aphs displayed bilateral or unilateral pleural effusion in the absence
of parenchymal opacities or mediastinal enlargement. CT scans confirm
ed chest radiographic findings and revealed a slight thickening of the
parietal pleura in all patients and a pericardial thickening in four
patients. CT also depicted pericardial and abdominal effusions in five
and two patients, respectively, in the absence of solid tumor masses
or parenchymal abnormalities. CONCLUSION: BCBL must be included among
the differential diagnoses of serous effusions detected radiologically
in individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Since the combination of serous effusion, slight serosal thickening, a
nd absence of solid masses is compatible with, though not specific for
, BCBL in the context of HIV infection, radiologic findings need to be
complemented by a detailed biologic and virologic characterization of
tumor cells.