the many faces of pulmonary aspergillosis: imaging findings with pathologic correlation

Introduction: Pulmonary Aspergillus infection can manifest as a variety of forms depending on the patients underlying immune status, the load of the organisms and the underlying condition of the lungs. Discussion: Hypersensitivity pneumonitis and allergic bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA) are typically seen in patients with hyper-immune status (asthma, atopy and hyper-eosinophilia). Aspergilloma or mycetoma is seen in patients with preexisting lung damage and cavities commonly from prior TB or sarcoidosis. In patients with immunosuppression, Aspergillus infection can present as semi-invasive or invasive (angioinvasive and airway invasive) aspergillosis. Conclusion: In this article we correlate the radiologic findings of the various pulmonary manifestations of Aspergillus infection with their pathologic features to better understand the disease process and better comprehend the associated imaging patterns.