A comparison of 111In-HIG scintigraphy and chest radiology in the identification of pulmonary infection in patients with HIV infection.

Prospectively, we compared the results of chest radiology and functional imaging, using 111In-labelled polyclonal human IgG (111In-HIG), in the identification of pulmonary infection in patients infected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Sixty-three studies were performed on 57 HIV-infected patients presenting with suspected chest infection or fever of unknown cause, in each of whom a planar chest radiograph was obtained within 24 h of the 111In-HIG study. The results of the two imaging modalities were compared with the final microbiological or cytological diagnosis. Forty patients were found to have pulmonary infection, 25 of whom were correctly identified with chest radiology (sensitivity 62%) and 39 with 111In-HIG (sensitivity 97%). In those patients without infection, chest radiology was abnormal in 13 cases (specificity 43%), while there was only one false-positive 111In-HIG study (specificity 95%). 111In-HIG correctly identified the presence or absence of active lung infection in 61 of 63 cases (accuracy 93%). This was significantly better (chi 2 = 8.25, upsilon = 1, P < 0.01) than chest radiology, which correctly identified the presence or absence of infection in 35 of 63 cases (accuracy 55%). In HIV antibody-positive patients, functional imaging with 111In-HIG is more accurate than chest X-ray in the identification of pulmonary infection.