Aims and objectives
To define and integrate the state-of-art imaging and image analysis of the most common lower respiratory infections in pediatric patients,
by gathering the best available scientific evidence and applying it to create efficient diagnostic algorithms.
Methods and materials
BACKGROUND
Pulmonary infections represent a major cause of morbidity,
hospitalization and mortality (Figure 1) within pediatric population,
and the number of hospital admissions for such pathologies keeps increasing worldwide.
This growth is partly due to the high incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis,
and these conditions,
together with other immunodeficiencies,
cause challenges in diagnosis and therapy planning,
and in worst cases treatment failure (1).
Functional tests have for many decades been the main tool to detect and monitor lung changes in pulmonary diseases,...
Results
FINDINGS
The debate about the use of chest radiograph in community acquired-pneumonia (CAP) is still open.
National guidance from the United Kingdom and the United States on community-acquired pneumonia in children (Table 6) states that chest radiographs are not recommended routinely in uncomplicated cases (8).
In practice,
chest radiographs are performed frequently for suspected pneumonia in children (9).
Also the technique is very different (in some hospitals is performed just one projection (anterior-posterior),
in others both (anterior-posterior and lateral).
Also the guide lines are not...
Conclusion
Paediatric infectious diseases is a large spectrum of pathologies with different prognosis and management; there are many different radiological instruments,
but not always available depending on the geographic contest.
Also the lack of a universally accepted standardization of protocol still determine different diagnostic iter.
Definitive diagnosis cannot be made on the basis of imaging features alone,
just a combination of clinical and radiographic findings can substantially improve the accuracy of diagnosis.
Future challenges include a greater insight into the appropriate timing and indication of imaging...
Personal information
Dr.
Carla Desiderio,
Radiology Resident
[email protected]
Radiology Unit I - Department of Surgical Medical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "G.F.
Ingrassia" - University of Studies of Catania.
Via S.Sofia,
78 - Catania (CT).
References
1.Everard ML.Paediatric respiratory infections.
Eur Respir Rev 2016; 25: 36–40
2.Tiddens Harm AWM,
Kuo W,
Van Straten M,
Ciet P,
Paediatric lung imaging: the times they are a-changin' European Respiratory Review 2018; 27:170097.
3.Guidelines for the management of community acquired pneumonia in children; British Thoracic Society (2011),
Thorax Vol 66 Sup 2.
4.Jain,
S.
Epidemiology of Viral Pneumonia.
CliniC Chest Med 2017; 38(1),
1–9.
5.Guo KW,
Wang J,
MD,
Sheng M,
Zhou M,
Fang L.
Radiological findings in 210 paediatric patients with viral pneumonia: a...