Investigation of the Chest Radiograph Findings in Children with Pneumonia Hospitalized in a Children's Hospital, Tabriz, Iran

Introduction: Pneumonia has been regarded as the leading cause of death among the elderly, very young children, and those who suffer from chronic diseases. Among the underlying causes, viral infections have been addressed as the most frequent cause of pneumonia in children. Materials and Methods: This study investigated a total of 300 subjects with pneumonia hospitalized in Tabriz Children's Hospital, Tabriz, Iran. Moreover, a comparison was made between the type of pneumonia and associated radiologic features. Age, gender, performed laboratory tests, symptoms, and final interpretations of the chest x-ray (CXR) images were included in the checklist. Results: The mean age of the patients was 6.09 2.45 years. Moreover, the mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate was estimated at 27.86±22.73 mm/h. In this study, 174 (58%), 57 (19%), 50 (16.7%), and 19 (6.3%) patients were C-reactive protein (CRP) negative, CRP (+), CRP (++), and CRP (+++), respectively. Furthermore, in 238 (79.3%) patients, white blood cell (WBC) count in serum was within the normal range, whereas high WBC count was reported in 62 individuals (20.7%). In addition, four positive blood cultures as well as 27 (9%) cases with pleural effusion were identified in this study. Reticulonodular involvement was recognized in up to 246 (82%) subjects. It should be noted that 63 (21%) and 237 (79%) patients showed unilateral and bilateral involvement in chest radiography, respectively. Regarding the frequency of radiographic evidence, the most common patterns of involvement in descending frequencies were reticulonodular and lobar alveolar. Conclusion: The most common pattern of involvement in children's CXRs with pneumonia is a reticulonodular pattern associated with bilateral peribronchial cuffing.