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Protocol and Guidelines for Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound in Diagnosing Neonatal Pulmonary Diseases Based on International Expert Consensus
Published on: March 6, 2019
Unusual pediatric lung infections: imaging findings
Domen Plut1,2, Abbey J Winant3, Nasreen Mahomed4
1Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov trg 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. plut.domen@gmail.com.
Insights
Pediatric lung infections from rare pathogens pose diagnostic challenges. This review details imaging findings for unusual viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections in children, aiding radiologists.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Pediatric lung infections are a major cause of illness and death in children.
- Rare lung infections and new pathogens present diagnostic difficulties for radiologists.
- Advances in imaging necessitate updated knowledge on pediatric lung infections.
Approach:
- This review discusses imaging findings of pediatric lung infections caused by unusual pathogens.
- It covers viral (COVID-19, MERS, bird flu), bacterial (S. anginosus, F. tularensis, C. psittaci), and parasitic (echinococcosis, paragonimiasis, amoebiasis) infections.
- It also includes conditions mimicking infections, such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis, pulmonary hemorrhage, and eosinophilic pneumonia, for differential diagnosis.
Key Points:
- Imaging is crucial for detecting, monitoring, and assessing complications of pediatric lung infections.
- Non-specific clinical presentations of new and unusual lung infections highlight the importance of imaging evaluation.
- Radiologists must be aware of diverse pathogens and mimics to accurately diagnose pediatric lung infections.
Conclusions:
- This review provides essential imaging insights into rare and emerging pediatric lung infections.
- Accurate diagnosis relies on understanding the radiological features of various infectious agents and mimics.
- Enhanced radiologic interpretation improves patient outcomes for pediatric lung infections.
Abstract:
Pediatric lung infections continue to be a leading cause of pediatric morbidity and mortality. Although both pediatric and general radiologists are familiar with typical lung infections and their imaging findings in children, relatively rare lung infections continue to present a diagnostic challenge. In addition, the advances in radiological imaging and emergence of several new lung infections in recent years facilitated the need for up-to-date knowledge on this topic. In this review article, we discuss the imaging findings of pediatric lung infections caused by unusual/uncommon and new pathogens. We review the epidemiological, clinical, and radiological imaging findings of viral (coronavirus disease 2019, Middle East respiratory syndrome, bird flu), bacterial (Streptococcus anginosus, Francisella tularensis, Chlamydia psittaci), and parasitic lung infections (echinococcosis, paragonimiasis, amoebiasis). Additional disorders whose clinical course and imaging findings may mimic lung infections in children (hypersensitivity pneumonitis, pulmonary hemorrhage, eosinophilic pneumonia) are also presented, to aid in differential diagnosis. As the clinical presentation of children with new and unusual lung infections is often non-specific, imaging evaluation plays an important role in initial detection, follow-up for disease progression, and assessment of potential complications.
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