What does xray show with pneumonia

Find out what the authors recommend when the initial radiograph looks normal but symptoms suggest otherwise Chest x-rays miss nearly half of early-stage pneumonia cases associated with influenza, according to a study recently published in Critical Care.

Bedside chest ultrasonography US , however, correctly identified 15 of those 16 cases when done nearly simultaneously with x-rays. Researchers initially looked at 98 consecutive patients with suspected pandemic H1N1 infection who complained of ILI or severe acute respiratory illness at triage.

Patients who had no signs of respiratory distress and those with co-morbidities were excluded from the study. In 41 patients, a final diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia CAP was confirmed and chest ultrasonography was done on 34, of which 16 had normal initial chest x-rays and 18 had abnormal radiographic findings. Of the 16, two-thirds had a final diagnosis of viral H1N1 CAP, 5 had primary bacterial pneumonia, and 1 had secondary bacterial pneumonia.

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You may opt-out of e-mail communications at any time by clicking on the Unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Your doctor may further evaluate your condition and lung function using thoracentesis, chest tube placement or image-guided abscess drainage. Pneumonia is an infection that causes inflammation in one or both of the lungs.

It can be caused by a virus, bacteria, fungi or other germs. The infection is usually acquired when a person breathes in air carrying germs. People with existing health problems are also at increased risk. Risk factors and circumstances that may increase a person's chances of developing pneumonia include:. Pneumonia can sometimes lead to serious complications, such as respiratory system failure, spread of infections, fluid surrounding the lungs, abscesses or uncontrolled inflammation throughout the body sepsis.

The condition can also be fatal, so it is important to seek immediate medical attention if you are experiencing these symptoms. Your primary doctor will begin by asking you about your medical history and symptoms.

You will also undergo a physical exam, so that your doctor can listen to your lungs. In checking for pneumonia, your doctor will listen for abnormal sounds like crackling, rumbling or wheezing. If your doctor thinks you may have pneumonia, an imaging test may be performed to confirm the diagnosis. Each of these tests will help your doctor further evaluate your lungs and lung function or help determine the type of germ causing your pneumonia.

Please type your comment or suggestion into the text box below. Note: we are unable to answer specific questions or offer individual medical advice or opinions. Discussion Even though chest X-Ray represents the faster and widely available tool for lung parenchyma assessment, the COVID imaging literature is currently focused on chest CT, due to the higher sensitivity.

The peripheral distribution, the involvement of posterior and lower lung zones are considered typical CT features of COVID pneumonia; even if bilateral affection is more frequent, unilateral pneumonia has also been reported 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 Due to the high rate of GGOs, findings can be missed on X-Rays, 14 but also confirmed positive patients can show negative chest CT.

Conflict of interest statement None. Acknowledgement No funding has been received. References 1. Wong H. Zhou S. Am J Roentgenol. Radiol Cardiothorac Imag. Chung M. CT imaging features of novel coronavirus nCoV Radiology. Pan F. Bernheim A. Orsi M. Chest CT findings in patients with coronavirus disease and its relationship with clinical features.

Invest Radiol. Yoon S. Korean J Radiol. Kong W. Lei J. CT imaging of the novel coronavirus nCoV pneumonia. Characteristics of and important lessons from the coronavirus disease COVID outbreak in China: summary of a report of 72 cases from the Chinese center for disease control and prevention. J Am Med Assoc.