THE RADIOLOGY OF THE THORACIC MANIFESTATIONS OF AIDS

The thoracic manifestations of AIDS have undergone a gradual metamorph osis, partly due to more awareness about the disease leading to earlie r diagnoses and partly due to the fact that research has produced more effective prophylaxis as well as treatment for these patients. Many p atients now demonstrate partial or complete clinical response which pr olongs the length and quality of life of individuals positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV+). Also, with the lame number of inf ected individuals coming to medical attention, and the years of experi ence in diagnosing and treating these AIDS patients, we now recognize not only the usual but also less usual manifestations of thoracic illn esses in AIDS, including infections, non-infectious diseases such as H IV associated Lymphocytic Interstitial Pneumonia and the neoplasms ass ociated with AIDS.A section will be devoted to HIV infection in childr en. We will finish the article with a discussion of the current role o f Nuclear Medicine in the diagnosis of HIV associated thoracic disease s. These topics are the subject of this article.