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Community-acquired pneumonia: a correlative study between chest radiographic and HRCT findings

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Japanese Journal of Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To elucidate what kinds of lesions tend to be overlooked or misinterpreted and why they were overlooked or misinterpreted on chest radiographs in the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) by comparing radiographic findings with HRCT findings.

Materials and methods

In 129 patients with CAP (107 bacterial and 22 atypical) and 105 healthy subjects, the chest radiographic findings were correlated with the HRCT findings. The diagnostic accuracy of each chest radiographic finding was evaluated by comparing it with the HRCT finding.

Results

The false negative rate of radiographic interpretation tended to be higher for nodules and thickening of the bronchial wall, especially in patients with atypical pneumonia. The most frequent reason for false negative interpretations of nodules and bronchial wall thickening was the overlapping of these findings with airspace consolidation or ground-glass opacity (GGO). Thin lesions were the most frequent reasons for the false negative interpretation of airspace consolidation and GGO.

Conclusion

The chest radiographic interpretations of GGO and airspace consolidation were influenced by the thickness of lesions, and those of nodules and thickening of bronchial walls were influenced by coexisting GGO and airspace consolidation and may contribute to a misinterpretation of these lesions and an incorrect diagnosis of CAP.

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Acknowledgments

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The authors are grateful to Steven Gardner for the preparation of the English manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest and there is no ethical problem.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Saiseikai Yamaguchi General Hospital, 2-11 Midorimachi, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi, 753-8517, Japan

    Nobuyuki Tanaka

  2. Department of Radiology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Minamikogushi, Ube, Yamaguchi, 755-8505, Japan

    Nobuyuki Tanaka & Naofumi Matsunaga

  3. Department of Radiology, Fukuoka Wajiro Hospital, 2-2-75 Wajirogaoka Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, 811-0213, Japan

    Takuya Emoto

  4. Department of Radiology, Nagato General Hospital, 85 Higashifukawa, Nagato, Yamaguchi, 759-4194, Japan

    Hiroki Suda

  5. Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Hospital Organization, Yamaguchi-Ube Medical Center, 685 Higashikiwa, Ube, Yamaguchi, 755-0241, Japan

    Tsuneo Matsumoto

Authors
  1. Nobuyuki Tanaka
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  2. Takuya Emoto
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  3. Hiroki Suda
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  4. Tsuneo Matsumoto
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  5. Naofumi Matsunaga
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nobuyuki Tanaka.

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Tanaka, N., Emoto, T., Suda, H. et al. Community-acquired pneumonia: a correlative study between chest radiographic and HRCT findings. Jpn J Radiol 33, 317–328 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-015-0420-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-015-0420-7

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