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Imaging of Pulmonary Infections

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Atlas of Emergency Imaging from Head-to-Toe

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Abstract

Chest radiographs and CT are frequently used in the diagnosis and monitoring of pulmonary infections. The presence and type of immunocompromise influence which infections a patient may be at risk of contracting. Imaging features often overlap among different infections, but some imaging features may help narrow the differential diagnosis. For example, tree-in-bud nodules suggest mycobacterial, atypical bacterial, or viral pneumonias; diffuse ground glass suggests viral or Pneumocystis pneumonia; and nodules with ground-glass halos suggest invasive fungal pneumonia in neutropenic patients. Septic emboli present with multiple cavitary nodules, and radiologists should search for a source, such as a valvular vegetation, when they encounter such patients. Radiologists should also be aware of entities which can simulate infection on imaging, including organizing pneumonia and malignancies.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Thoracic Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Suzanne C. Byrne & Mark M. Hammer

  2. Department of Radiology, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington, MA, USA

    Richard Thomas

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  1. Suzanne C. Byrne
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  2. Mark M. Hammer
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  3. Richard Thomas
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark M. Hammer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Michael N. Patlas

  2. NYU Langone Hospital - Long Island and the NYU Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY, USA

    Douglas S. Katz

  3. Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, University of Medicine and Surgery, Sassari, Italy

    Mariano Scaglione

Section Editor information

  1. Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

    Constantine Raptis

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Byrne, S.C., Hammer, M.M., Thomas, R. (2022). Imaging of Pulmonary Infections. In: Patlas, M.N., Katz, D.S., Scaglione, M. (eds) Atlas of Emergency Imaging from Head-to-Toe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92111-8_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92111-8_18

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