Disseminated Bacillus Calmette–Guérin infection: role of imaging in the evaluation of complications.

This article focuses on the imaging findings associated with disseminated Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG) infection, a rare but severe complication following BCG vaccination used to prevent tuberculosis in children. In a retrospective study of 44 hospitalized children diagnosed with disseminated BCG infection, common imaging features included axillary lymphadenopathy with frequent abscess formation at the vaccination site, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly with multiple hypoechoic or hypodense nodules on ultrasound and CT scans, and diffuse or multifocal pulmonary opacities on chest X-rays and CT scans. The study highlights the critical role of radiological imaging modalities—such as sonography, radiography, CT, and MRI—in the early diagnosis and evaluation of disseminated BCG infection complications. These imaging patterns can assist clinicians in distinguishing this life-threatening infection, particularly in infants and young children, including those without confirmed immunodeficiency.