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Bronchiolitis: A Practical Approach for the General Radiologist.
Peter J Winningham1, Santiago Martínez-Jiménez1, Melissa L Rosado-de-Christenson1
1From the Division of Thoracic Imaging, Department of Radiology, University of Missouri-Kansas City, St Luke's Hospital, 4401 Wornall Rd, Kansas City, MO 64111 (P.J.W., S.M.J., M.L.R.d.C.); Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Division of Diagnostic Imaging, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Tex (S.L.B.); Department of Cardiothoracic Radiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Tex (C.S.R.); and MedStar St Mary's Hospital, Washington, DC (A.E.).
Radiologists frequently encounter bronchiolitis on imaging. This article simplifies bronchiolitis diagnosis by detailing CT signs and common causes like infection and aspiration, aiding accurate differential diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Radiology
- Pathology
Background:
- Bronchiolitis is a common finding in radiologic imaging.
- Accurate and timely diagnosis is crucial for patient management.
- A simplified approach can improve diagnostic accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To simplify the concept of bronchiolitis for radiologists.
- To facilitate accurate differential diagnosis of bronchiolitis.
- To outline potential causes of bronchiolitis based on imaging findings.
Main Methods:
- Detailed review of direct and indirect computed tomographic (CT) signs of bronchiolitis.
- Categorization of common and less common causes of bronchiolitis.
- Discussion of specific clinical scenarios and ethnic predispositions.
Main Results:
- Infection and aspiration are the most prevalent causes of bronchiolitis.
- Respiratory bronchiolitis and hypersensitivity pneumonitis present with ground-glass centrilobular nodules.
- Diffuse panbronchiolitis and constrictive bronchiolitis have specific ethnic and clinical associations (e.g., Japanese ethnicity, lung transplant recipients).
Conclusions:
- Radiologists require a systematic approach to diagnose cellular and constrictive bronchiolitis.
- Recognizing specific clinical and imaging features aids in formulating a differential diagnosis.
- Understanding the diverse causes of bronchiolitis improves diagnostic precision.