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Cerebral tuberculosis (TB) was diagnosed in 6 (4%) of 156 HIV-infected patients with TB seen at our institution over 6 years. We describe here the clinical and radiologic features of these cases and of 15 others reported in the literature. Of the 21 patients, 59% were intravenous drug users. Presenting symptoms were fever (76%), confusion (52%), seizures (38%), and headache (38%). Fourteen patients (66%) had previous or active extracerebral TB at presentation. Cranial CT scan showed ring-(62%) or nodular-(24%) enhancing lesions or mixed forms (14%). Among the 12 patients who underwent a brain biopsy, bacteriologic evidence of TB was found in 9. Four patients (19%) died during hospitalization. Among the 17 others who received antituberculous therapy, only 1 developed neurologic sequelae. Five patients also received steroid therapy to control cerebral edema or paradoxical growth of the cerebral mass lesions. TB should be considered as a cause of cerebral mass lesions in HIV-infected patients, especially if tuberculous infection is suspected at other sites.

In several medical centers computed radiography has almost completely replaced the use of conventional screen-film systems for general radiography. The aim of this paper is to explain the basic principles of the four most frequently numerical detectors used in the world, with emphasis on the phosphor plates, which are the most frequently used both in hospitals and by practitioners. The other two systems are based on a receptor with selenium. The fourth uses charged coupled device (CCD) detectors. The most important principles of digital processing are then described with concentration on unsharp mask filtering. In the future computed radiography will replace standard radiology and will create a system in medicine using the power of computers to archive--with more efficiency and less space--patient medical data. The transmission of data to workstations and the processing of this data is the topic of a new field in medicine.

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