Computer tomography of chest organs in the diagnosis of acute respiratory distress-syndrome of patients with severe brain injury

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Purpose

Early diagnosis of acute injuries of lungs in patients with severe brain injury (SBI) during acute period providing, with the comparison of results in dynamic control, reduction of radial load and of examination time.

Materials and methods

We examined 25 patients with SBI (in admission the severity rate was less than 8 points according to the Glasgow scale) at 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days. We developed the algorhythm of patients examination: high resolution computer tomography (HRCT) of four levels with assessment of densitometric index in four points of each level.

Results

Roentgenologic signs of 96% patients during 1 day; from these patients 62.5% had first rate with the increase of density index by 13.7%, 37.5% patients had second rate with the increase of density index by 25.2% in comparison with density index. Main localization of pathologic changes registered in posterior basal parts of the lungs. Pleural exudate was diagnosed in 50%, hydrothorax in 4%, aspiration pneumonia in 8% patients.

Conclusion

The proposed method, in contrast to standard CT, allows the appreciation of the revealed changes, to diagnose the early symptoms of ARDS on the first day, to analyze the development of pathologic in dynamics and to conduct the treatment correction in time.