[Observation of the radiologic course in long-term artificial respiration]

In a retrospective study, 108 patients were followed up who had to undergo artificial respiration treatment because of respiratory insufficiency. X-ray diagnosis showed a shock lung in all the patients. X-ray morphology correlates with the pathologicoanatomical substrate which develops progressively in phases. 24 patients (22%) could be saved, which is a remarkable success in view of the usually fatal prognosis. It was encouraging to find that follow-up examinations of the surviving patients did not reveal any detectable sequels of the "shock lung"; likewise, no unfavourable effects of the respiratory therapy were noticed.