Resumo Objetivo: Descrever achados radiológicos na tomografia computadorizada (TC) de tórax de crianças imunocompetentes menores de 36 meses com tuberculose pulmonar. Materiais e Métodos: Esta série de casos foi desenvolvida na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, no período de janeiro de 2004 a julho de 2013, onde 20 pacientes foram submetidos a TC após a realização de radiografias de tórax que não definiram o diagnóstico. Resultados: Todos os participantes tiveram linfonodomegalias e consolidações. Em 15 casos (75%) as consolidações tiveram atelectasia associada. Escavações pulmonares ocorreram em 10 casos (50%), havendo consolidações em 7 (35%). Áreas de escavação e destruição parenquimatosa em fase inicial não foram observadas nas radiografias simples. Conclusão: A apresentação radiológica de tuberculose pulmonar em lactentes não foi a mesma descrita em crianças maiores e adultos. A TC é um método aplicável para o diagnóstico precoce de tuberculose pulmonar em lactentes imunocompetentes, permitindo a rápida instituição de tratamento específico, que é crucial para interromper a progressão da doença e prevenir suas complicações locais e sistêmicas.

Abstract Objective: To describe the chest computed tomography (CT) findings in immunocompetent children under 36 months of age with pulmonary tuberculosis. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive case series conducted in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between January 2004 and July 2013, involving 20 young children who underwent CT after undergoing chest X-rays that did not provide a definitive diagnosis. Results: All of the participants had lymph node enlargement and consolidations. In 15 cases (75%), the consolidations were accompanied by atelectasis. Pulmonary cavitation was seen in 10 cases (50%), and cavitation within consolidations was seen in 7 (35%). The areas of cavitation and parenchymal destruction were not seen on conventional chest X-rays. Conclusion: The radiological presentation of pulmonary tuberculosis in young children differs from that described in older children and adults. CT is an effective method for the early diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in immunocompetent infants, allowing the rapid institution of specific treatment, which is crucial for halting disease progression, as well as for preventing local and systemic complications.

OBJECTIVE: High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) allows the early detection of pathological changes in the lung structure, and reproducible scoring systems can be used to quantify chest computed tomography (CT) findings in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). The aim of the study was to describe early HRCT findings according to a validated scoring system in infants with CF diagnosed by newborn screening (NBS). METHODS: This cross-sectional study included infants with CF diagnosed by NBS who were born between January 2013 and January 2017 and who underwent HRCT scanning within the first year after diagnosis when they were clinically stable. The CT scans were evaluated using the modified Bhalla score. RESULTS: Thirty-two subjects underwent HRCT scanning. The mean total-modified Bhalla score was 3.6±2.1, and 93.8% of the scans were abnormal. Pseudomonas aeruginosa airway colonization was associated with increased modified Bhalla score values. Bronchial wall thickening was the most common feature (90.6%), followed by bronchial collapse/consolidation (59.4%), mosaic attenuation/perfusion (50%), bronchiectasis (37.5%) and mucus plugging (15.6%). Bronchial wall thickening was diffuse in most of the patients. CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of infants diagnosed with CF after detection by NBS already showed evidence of lung disease. P. aeruginosa colonization was associated with increased Bhalla scores, highlighting the importance of this CF pathogen in early structural lung disease. The presence of bronchial wall thickening at such a young age may reflect the presence of airway inflammatory processes. The detection and quantification of structural abnormalities with the modified Bhalla score may aid in the identification of lung disease before it is clinically apparent.

ABSTRACT CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of a variety of potentially pathogenic microorganisms in cystic fibrosis patients, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has increased over the past decade. Given the increasing prevalence of MRSA and the few data available in the literature, better understanding of the clinical repercussions of colonization by this bacterium in cystic fibrosis patients becomes essential. This study aimed to evaluate the repercussions of chronic colonization by MRSA in cystic fibrosis patients. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective cohort study from January 2004 to December 2013 in a cystic fibrosis reference center. METHODS: Each patient with cystic fibrosis was evaluated for nutritional status (body mass index, BMI, and BMI percentile), pulmonary function and tomographic abnormalities (modified Bhalla scores) at the time of chronic colonization by MRSA or methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and throughout the study period. RESULTS: Twenty pairs of patients were included. There were no significant differences between the groups regarding nutritional characteristics. Spirometric data showed a trend towards greater obstruction of the airways in patients with MRSA. Patients with MRSA presented greater structural damage to their lungs, demonstrated not only by the total Bhalla score but also by its parameters individually. CONCLUSIONS: Patients colonized by MRSA presented greater functional and structural respiratory impairment at the time of chronic colonization. Disease progression was also faster in patients chronically colonized by MRSA than in those with MSSA. This was shown through comparisons that avoided possible confounding variables.

A mastopatia linfocítica acomete mulheres jovens e de meia idade e está frequentemente associada a doenças autoimunes. Seu diagnóstico é feito associando achados clínicos (espessamento ou nódulo mamário endurecido), radiológicos (aumento da densidade mamária, nódulo e calcificações), ultrassonográficos (nódulo com sombra acústica posterior), histopatológicos (fibrose e infiltrado linfocítico) e imuno-histoquímicos. É uma entidade benigna que pode simular carcinoma. Neste artigo, relata-se um caso de paciente com mastopatia linfocítica.

Lymphocytic mastopathy affects both young and middle-aged women and is frequently associated with autoimmune diseases. Diagnosis is done by associating clinical (breast tissue thickening or hardened breast lump), radiological (increased breast density, presence of mass and calcifications), sonographic (nodule with posterior acoustic shadowing), histopathological (fibrosis and lymphocytic infiltrate) and immunohistochemical findings. Lymphocytic mastopathy is a benign entity that may mimic carcinoma. The authors report the case of a patient with lymphocytic mastopathy.

Relato de caso de doença da arranhadura do gato (DAG), em um paciente lactente, com história epidemiológica negativa, descrevendo o rastreamento diagnóstico, a imagem ao ultra-som, a evolução clínica e o prognóstico. B. quintana foi identificada em aspirado de secreção ganglionar pelo método de PCR. B. henselae, embora seja o agente causal habitualmente responsável pela DAG, não foi isolada. Os autores concluem que a pesquisa de B. quintana e B. henselae deve ser incluída na investigação de adenites, principalmente quando a evolução é subaguda, mesmo em lactentes e, ainda que a história epidemiológica seja negativa.

This case study reports a typical clinical course of cat-scratch disease (CSD) in an infant without epidemiological data and presenting bilateral submandibular lymphadenopathy. The authors describe clinical course, ultrasound images, diagnosis and prognosis. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detected and identified B. quintana in lymph node samples. B. henselae currently thought to be the causative agent of CSD was not detected. The PCR assays for B. quintana and B. henselae should be available for the investigation of lymphadenopathy, even if the infant has not had either cat or dog contact.