Assessment of chest X-ray images in newborns with respiratory disorders.
The aim of the study was to analyze major radiological signs on chest X-ray images of neonates with respiratory disorders. The analyzed group consisted of 84 neonates; 56 were born prematurely. In total, 386 X-ray photographs of the neonates were taken; of these, 301 were chest radiographs. The following conditions were diagnosed: pneumonia (n = 44), infant respiratory distress syndrome (n = 28), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (n = 9), atelectasis (n = 5), and meconium aspiration syndrome (n = 3). The initial X-ray images of 29 neonates were normal. Reduced aeration of lung tissue was diagnosed in 55 patients, increased lung tissue aeration in 6. A pathologically widened mediastinal shadow was observed in 4 newborns; in 4 cases, evaluation was not possible. The final radiographs were normal in 41 cases. The most common radiological sign in respiratory disorders is the reduction of lung aeration. Chest X-ray examination plays a significant role in the diagnostics of respiratory disorders, which may be caused be factors unrelated to the respiratory system.
Department of Diagnostic Imaging, SPSK1, Zabrze, Poland.
Łukasz Maciej
ŁM
Czarnecki
chest X-ray; neonate; respiratory disorder