Chest Computed Tomographic Imaging Characteristics of Viral Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Illnesses

Abstract

Airway inflammatory changes such as tree-in-bud opacities, bronchial wall thickening, and peribronchiolar consolidation are associated with community-acquired viral LRTI. Recognition of these findings should prompt testing for viral infection. Multifocal consolidation is commonly found in cases of viral LRTI but is nonspecific.

Comparison of chest-CT findings of Influenza virus-associated pneumonia in immunocompetent vs. immunocompromised patients

“…bronchitis, bronchiolitis, bronchopneumonia, focal or multifocal pneumonia as well as airway-centric vs. diffuse GGO) [16,17]. According to these earlier reports, we decided to further reduce the number of pneumonia infiltration patterns to only two "airway-centric" and "interstitial-parenchymal" predominant patterns looking first for potentially discriminatory features between the Influenza virus types and subtypes as well as between pneumonia occurring in immunocompetent vs. immunocompromised patients.…”

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and its propensity for causing bronchiolitis

“…Standard radiological techniques are unable to distinguish between acute bronchiolitis caused by RSV versus that caused by infection by other respiratory viruses. Indeed, a recent computed tomography (CT)‐based study, designed to compare and contrast scans of patients exhibiting acute, infectious, distal airway disease, was unable to discriminate between distal airway disease caused by several respiratory viruses, including RSV .…”

Clinical Relevance of Bronchial Anthracofibrosis in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbation

“…These CT findings were defined as follows: consolidation as airspace opacification with obscuration of the underlying vasculature 15 ; GGO as less densely increased attenuation without obscuration of the underlying vasculature 15 ; bronchiolitis as centrilobular nodules with either V- or Y-shaped branching linear opacities 16 ; emphysema characterized by the presence of areas of abnormally low attenuation near the center of the secondary pulmonary lobule or diffuse areas of low attenuation with little intervening normal lung 17 ; bronchiectasis when the internal diameter of the bronchus was greater than that of the adjacent pulmonary artery (PA); and inactive pulmonary tuberculosis when irregular lines and calcified nodules along with distortion of bronchovascular bundles were located in upper lobes and superior segments of lower lobes 18 . The presence of bronchial wall thickening was considered when radiologists initially suspected the presence of bronchiectasis at 5th or 6th generation bronchi but then, on comparing the caliber of the bronchus to the adjacent artery, determined that there was no bronchial dilatation 19 . Thus, the bronchus looked more prominent than normal without features of bronchiectasis.…”