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The aim of this study was to investigate the features of partial anomalous left pulmonary artery (PALPA) and differences between cases with posterior versus anterior a nomalous vessels in relation to the tracheobronchial tree. We hypothesized that statistical significance was dependent on the course of the anomalous vessel due to airway compression in the posterior type. This study included cases obtained from the literature (n = 33) and an institution teaching file (n = 2). Information collected: age, sex, medical history, additional anomalies, anomalous vessel course, and respiratory symptoms. Data were analyzed with independent samples t-test and Fisher’s exact test. PALPAs were more commonly anterior than posterior. Mean age: 5.3 years (SD = 12.4) for anterior and 6.8 years (SD = 18.5) for posterior (p = 0.77). Respiratory symptoms: 20% of anterior and 60% of posterior cases (p = 0.032). Tracheobronchial anomalies: 35% of anterior and 60% of posterior cases (p = 0.182). Non-cardiac and non-tracheobronchial anomalies: 30% of anterior and 47% of posterior cases (p = 0.511). Kabuki syndrome: 25% of anterior and 6.7% of posterior cases (p = 0.207). In conclusion, respiratory symptoms were the only significant difference between anterior and posterior PALPA types.

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) of bone and skeletal muscle is unusual. In this report, the authors review 66 published patients with KS who had involvement of the musculoskeletal system reported from 1925 to 2006. In only 3 patients was acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)‐related KS identified within skeletal muscle. Osseous KS lesions were more frequent and occurred with African, classic, and AIDS‐related KS and occurred rarely in transplantation‐associated KS. Patients seldom were asymptomatic. They usually had bone pain with limited mobility or infrequently developed serious sequelae like spinal cord compression. Locally aggressive African and classic KS lesions typically involved the peripheral skeleton; whereas, in patients with AIDS, the axial (vertebrae, ribs, sternum, and pelvis) and/or maxillofacial bones more commonly were involved. Almost all patients had concomitant nonosseous KS lesions. Joint involvement was exceptional, and pathologic fractures were not observed. Computed tomography scans and magnetic resonance images were better at detecting osseous KS lesions, which frequently went undetected on plain x‐ray films or bone scans. Pathologic diagnosis was important to exclude similar lesions like bacillary angiomatosis. Treatment options, including surgery and, in more recent patients, radiation and/or chemotherapy, had limited success. Cancer 2007 © 2007 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wide spectrum of thoracic tumors have known or suspected viral etiologies. Oncogenic viruses can be classified by the type of genomic material they contain. Neoplastic conditions found to have viral etiologies include post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, lymphoid granulomatosis, Kaposi's sarcoma, Castleman's disease, recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma, leukemia and lymphomas. Viruses involved in these conditions include Epstein-Barr virus, human herpes virus 8, human papillomavirus, Simian virus 40, human immunodeficiency virus, and Human T-lymphotropic virus. Imaging findings, epidemiology and mechanism of transmission for these diseases are reviewed in detail to gain a more thorough appreciation of disease pathophysiology for the chest radiologist.