Computed tomography findings of 50 patients diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia: A case series

Abstract

The effect of neglecting imaging in aspiration pneumonia diagnosis is not well understood. In this study, the computed tomography images of 50 patients diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia were retrospectively analyzed by three radiologists at a different hospital. Among these cases, 32%–42% were not classified as aspiration pneumonia based on imaging. Thus, imaging features may not have been adequately considered for diagnosing aspiration pneumonia. Although not all patients with aspiration pneumonia can be diagnosed based on imaging, aspiration pneumonia should be considered in the diagnosis as cases that are clearly nonaspiration pneumonia can be misdiagnosed as aspiration pneumonia.