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Published on: December 19, 2020

Radiology of community-acquired pneumonia

Robert D Tarver1, Shawn D Teague, Darel E Heitkamp

  • 1Department of Radiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Wishard Memorial Hospital, 1001 West 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. rtarver@iupui.edu

Radiologic Clinics of North America
|April 26, 2005
PubMed

Insights

This review covers radiographic findings in common community-acquired pneumonias, including bacterial, tuberculosis, fungal, pneumocystis, and viral types. It details differentiating features visible on X-rays to aid diagnosis.

Area of Science:

  • Radiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pulmonology

Background:

  • Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) presents diverse radiographic findings.
  • Accurate diagnosis relies on interpreting these imaging patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the radiographic appearances of common CAP etiologies.
  • To highlight key imaging features for differentiating pneumonia types.

Main Methods:

  • Review of radiographic images and literature.
  • Discussion of characteristic findings for various pneumonia pathogens.

Main Results:

  • Bacterial pneumonias show lobar or bronchopneumonia patterns.
  • Tuberculosis, fungal, and viral pneumonias exhibit distinct interstitial or nodular opacities.
  • Pneumocystis pneumonia often presents with diffuse ground-glass opacities.

Conclusions:

  • Radiographic interpretation is crucial for diagnosing CAP.
  • Recognizing specific imaging patterns aids in identifying the causative agent of pneumonia.

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