Summary

Consolidations in the pulmonary parenchyma are mostly infective, although they can rarely be due to autoimmune and neoplastic processes. Consolidations, especially in the setting of underlying immunosuppressive haematological malignancy, are usually presumed infective by the treating physician. Pulmonary involvement in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia presenting as consolidations and type 1 respiratory failure, responding to systemic chemotherapy, is a rare and uncommon presentation.