Radiological peculiarities of nosocomial pneumonia

Abstract

A retrospective analysis of clinical and laboratory parameters and radiological data was performed in 60 patients with nosocomial pneumonia. A dynamic investigation of clinical-and-laboratory parameters and radiological data was carried out in all the cases. Typically, radiographic examination was performed at the time when the first  clinical and laboratory features of pulmonary inflammatory process appeared. Fever and breathlessness prevailedin clinical picture, lungs’ auscultation revealed breathing weakening and fine crackles. Most patients demonstrated infiltration in lungs found by X-ray examination. In 10 cases reliable radiological sings of pneumonia were absent. During autopsy the diagnosis of pneumonia was confirmed in all the patients with X-ray negative nosocomial pneumonia. So, the absence of radiological features of pneumonia does not evidence its absence in a patient. The possible causes of nosocomial pneumonia X-ray negativity could be an atypical course of pneumonia in patients with neutropenia; the intrinsic diagnostics of nosocomial pneumonia on a background of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases as well as in elderly people; insufficient sensitivity of traditional radiography for detection of this kind of pathology.