Chest computed tomographic findings and clinical features of legionella pneumonia.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the chest radiographic and computed tomographic (CT) findings of legionella pneumonia.


METHODS
Serial chest radiographs and CT scans obtained in 12 patients with serologically proven Legionella pneumophila pneumonia were retrospectively reviewed. Chest CT findings were analyzed with regard to patterns and distributions of pulmonary abnormalities.


RESULTS
Nine of the 12 patients were in an immunocompromised state, that is, steroid therapy (n = 8) and myelodysplastic syndrome (n = 1), and 6 of the 8 steroid users were on high-dose steroid. All patients showed multilobar or multisegmental pulmonary infiltrates on CT scans. The CT findings were categorizable as; predominantly airspace consolidations (n = 6), mixed lesions with lobular consolidation and ground-glass opacity (GGO) (n = 3), and pure GGO lesions (n = 2). Five of the 6 patients on high-dose steroid therapy had lobar consolidations with (n = 4) or without a cavity (n = 1), and 1 patient had a mixed lesion.


CONCLUSIONS
The most common CT findings in legionella pneumonia were multilobar or multisegmental consolidation and GGO. Cavitary lobar consolidation occurred commonly in patients on high-dose steroid therapy.
Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Kyung Won
KW
Kim
Jin Mo
JM
Goo
Hyun Ju
HJ
Lee
Ho Yun
HY
Lee
Chang Min
CM
Park
Chang Hyun
CH
Lee
Jung-Gi
JG
Im
D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D001995:Bronchography; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D007877:Legionnaires' Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008206:Lymphatic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
D005938:Glucocorticoids