Table 3.
ETIOLOGIES OF CNS ABNORMALITIES NOTED WITH NEUROIMAGING STUDIES
| Findings on Neuroimaging | Most Common Etiologies During HIV Infection | Less Common Etiologies | Most Common Etiologies After Transplantation | Less Common Etiologies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mass lesion with ring enhancement (enhancement may be absent in post-transplant patient) |
Toxoplasma gondii Epstein-Barr virus (primary CNS lymphoma) Mycobacteria tuberculosis |
Cryptococcus neoformans Kaposi’s sarcoma Metastatic or primary malignancy Bacterial or fungal abscess |
Aspergillus sp. T. gondii Nocardia sp. Bacterial abscess |
Coccidiodes immitis Histoplasma capsulatum Mucor sp. Mycobacteria tuberculosis |
| Non-enhancing lesion in white matter | PML | Multiple sclerosis Stroke |
Aspergillus sp. Cyclosporine or FK-506 PML |
Cranial irradiation Multiple sclerosis Stroke |
| Diffuse atrophy with non-enhancing white matter | AIDS dementia complex (also may see late enhancement of basal ganglia) | PML | Cranial irradiation | |
| Meningeal enhancement |
C. neoformans HSV VZV Bacteria |
Atypical bacteria |
L. monocytogenes C. neoformans |
M. tuberculosis C. immitis |
| Encephalitis | Typical viral pathogens | HHV-6 | EBV VZV |
HHV-6 CMV |
| Ventricular enhancement | CMV | Primary CNS lymphoma | CMV | |
| Normal | C. neoformans | Candida species |