[The x-ray diagnosis of a predisposition to nephrogenic pulmonary edema in glomerulonephritis patients]

To develop criteria for determining predisposition to pulmonary edema in patients with glomerulonephritis, clinical, laboratory and X-ray examinations were made in 697 patients with glomerulonephritis at different stages of its development. X-ray examination included chest tele X-ray and its densitometric analysis. Twenty two patients underwent computerized tomography with histographic analysis. In 106 patients, X-ray findings were compared with the volume of circulating blood, cardiac and stroke indices. Changes in the lungs and pleural cavities were found in 22.7%, pulmonary edema was revealed in 15.7% of the patients. The prognostically unfavourable criteria for the development of pulmonary edema were found to be Stage II pulmonary venous hypertension with hypervolemia and peripheral edemas. The densitometrically detected increase in the density of the lower lungs in patients with Stage II venous hypertension suggests early manifestations of interstitial edema of the lung and the narrowing of the histogram angle limited by its ascending and descending lines is indicative of the fact that interstitial edema progresses to alveolar one.