Focal lung uptake of gallium-67 in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome secondary to pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.

It is generally accepted that the lung uptake of 67Ga in patients with pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) is diffuse and bilateral. Three cases of focal lung uptake of 67Ga in AIDS patients with PCP but without other opportunistic infection are described. While focal lung uptake is characteristic of opportunistic infections other than PCP, we wish to emphasize that focal uptake of gallium in the chest does not rule out PCP and may represent its earliest stage of presentation.