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Long-Term CT Follow-Up in 40 Non-HIV Immunocompromised Patients with Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis: Kinetics of CT Morphology and Correlation with Clinical Findings and Outcome

¹ Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Eberhard-Karls-University, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 3, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
² Department of Internal Medicine-Onocology, Eberhard-Karls-University, Tuebingen, Germany.
³ Department of Medical Biometry, Eberhard-Karls-University, Tuebingen, Germany.

OBJECTIVE. The aim of this study was to assess CT signs of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) and their long-term kinetics in correlation with clinical findings and outcome.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. Three hundred ten serial CT scans (mean, 7.7) in 40 consecutive patients were reviewed retrospectively over a median follow-up of 112 days (range, 5-841 days). Along with underlying disease, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, neutropenia, graft-versus-host disease or antifungal treatment, signs of IPA, and number or size of lesions were evaluated regarding outcome and radiologic dynamics.

RESULTS. On the day of IPA diagnosis, median lesion number and size were 3 or 3.1 cm², respectively. Irrespective of antifungal therapy, 90% of patients showed an increase in lesion size and number until day 9 (median and mean). Lesion size subsequently showed a median plateau phase of 3.5 days (mean, 7), during which median lesion numbers dropped by 17%. Consequently, 42.5% of patients showed a complete radiologic remission within a median 80 days. Of all parameters, formation of cavitation most strongly predicted time until radiologic remission, which was 2.5 times as long in patients with cavitary lesions. Likewise, cavitations were strong precursors of beneficial outcome (odds ratio, 8.4; confidence interval [CI], 1.07-176).

CONCLUSION. The kinetics of radiologic signs of IPA adheres to a distinctive pattern with initial rise in number and size, followed by a plateau phase of size and gradual reduction. Both time until complete radiologic remission and outcome are independent of initial or maximum lesion size and number yet strongly influenced by cavitation.

Keywords: CT • infectious diseases • invasive pulmonary aspergillosis • lung disease

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