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01-02-2018 | State of the Art Review

Infectious and Non-Infectious Diseases Causing the Air Crescent Sign: A State-of-the-Art Review

Authors: Joyce Betta Sevilha, Rosana Souza Rodrigues, Miriam Menna Barreto, Gláucia Zanetti, Bruno Hochhegger, Edson Marchiori

Published in: Lung | Issue 1/2018

Abstract

Aspergilloma, also known as mycetoma or fungus ball, is characterized by a round or oval mass with soft-tissue attenuation within a preexisting lung cavity. The typical computed tomography (CT) aspect of an aspergilloma is a mass separated from the wall of the cavity by an airspace of variable size and shape, resulting in the air crescent sign, also known as the meniscus sign. This CT feature is non-specific and can be simulated by several other entities that result in intracavitary masses. This review describes the main clinical and imaging aspects of the infectious and non-infectious diseases that may present with fungus-ball appearance, including pulmonary hydatid cyst, Rasmussen aneurysm, pulmonary gangrene, intracavitary clot, textiloma, lung cancer, metastasis, and teratoma, focusing on the differential diagnosis.

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Title: Infectious and Non-Infectious Diseases Causing the Air Crescent Sign: A State-of-the-Art Review
Authors: Joyce Betta Sevilha
Rosana Souza Rodrigues
Miriam Menna Barreto
Gláucia Zanetti
Bruno Hochhegger
Edson Marchiori
Publication date: 01-02-2018
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Lung / Issue 1/2018
Print ISSN: 0341-2040
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1750
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00408-017-0069-3

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