[Imaging of pneumonia].

Abstract

In patients with suspected pneumonia, chest radiography and CT play an important role in making the differential diagnosis and evaluating disease severity and progress. The radiologic patterns of both community-acquired and opportunistic pneumonias were reviewed and compared with those of non-infectious lung diseases. The important findings in the diagnosis of pneumonias were as follows: 1) the relationship between the extent of consolidation and segment or lobe; 2) homogeneity or heterogeneity of opacity; 3) presence of thickening of bronchi and bronchioli; centrilobular, acinar, lobular, and segmental opacities; air bronchogram; tree-inbud appearance, and mosaic perfusion; and 4) size and distribution of nodules.