Medical image of the month: viral pnuemonias

• Main Author: Gotway MB
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Arizona Thoracic Society 2020-05-01
• Series: Southwest Journal of Pulmonary and Critical Care
• Subjects: pneumonia; ct scan; coronavirus; covid-19; influenza; coronavirus nl62; coronavirus hku1; multilobar; ground glass opacity; reticulation
• Online Access: https://www.swjpcc.com/imaging/2020/5/2/medical-image-of-the-month-viral-pneumonias.html

No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. Numerous viruses, including the corona, influenza and adenoviruses can cause lower respiratory tract infection in adults (1). Viral pneumonia in adults can be classified into two clinical groups: so-called atypical pneumonia in otherwise healthy hosts and viral pneumonia in immunocompromised hosts. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, influenza virus types A and B caused most cases of viral pneumonia in immunocompetent adults. Immunocompromised hosts are susceptible to pneumonias caused by a wide variety of viruses including cytomegalovirus, herpesviruses, measles virus, and adenovirus. The CT imaging findings consist mainly of patchy or diffuse ground-glass opacity, with or without consolidation, and reticular areas of increased opacity, are variable and overlapping. The imaging findings in COVID-19 pneumonia are generally not distinctive compared to other viral pneumonias, including other coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS (2). A recent study systematically reviewed the longitudinal changes of CT findings in COVID-19 pneumonia. The results suggested that the lung …