Pulmonary and Thoracic Vascular Involvement in Behçet’s Disease on CT

Behçet’s disease (BD) is a multisystem inflammatory disease. Although genetic factors and microorganisms are considered as causes of the disease, the exact etiology is unknown. It is characterized by recurrent oral and genital ulcerations and uveitis. Behçet first described the clinical trial of the disease in 1937 [1]. BD may affect the joints, the skin, the gastrointestinal system, the central nervous system, the hearth and vascular system, and the lungs [2]. Vascular involvement is seen approximately in 25-30% of patients [3]. The main pathologic process is vasculitis and inflammation [4]. Pulmonary manifestations are relatively infrequent and have been reported in 1-10% of patients [2,5]. The disease is common in Mediterranean countries, Middle East and Asia. The prevalence rate in Turkey is 80-370 per 100.000 [2,3]. Although chest radiography is the first imaging modality, CT is the preferred method for diagnosing thoracic involvement of BD. We review the pulmonary, pleural and thoracic vascular manifestations of BD with CT findings.