[Radiological aspects of viral respiratory diseases]

The importance of radiological examination in viral diseases of the respiratory apparatus depends on the site and the type of alterations caused, since the evidence of damage it provides is closely linked to the anatomical and pathological of such alterations. In the case of the upper airways, trachea, and large bronchi, little radiological evidence of the mostly mucosal lesions will be obtained, except in laryngeal forms in children with considerable oedema. Generally speaking, the chances of demonstration are greater in diseases affecting the lung parenchyma, with direct or indirect ventilation changes. Interstitial involvement, which is characteristic of such diseases, will be less easy to demonstrate, especially in the initial stages, on account of the absence of distinct gross evidence of the alteration, irrespective of the clinical picture.