Chest Radiographic and Chest CT Images of Aspiration Pneumonia: Are the Image Features of Aspiration Pneumonia Different from Those of Non-aspiration CAP or HAP?

Abstract

Aspiration pneumonia typically presents as bronchopneumonia with gravity dependence, but the sensitivity and specificity of these features are unknown. Conventional chest radiography seems to be limited for detecting pneumonia in elderly patients with low levels of physical activity. Chest CT may be indicated for such patients with suspected pneumonia, but abnormal features do not always reflect acute inflammation, especially when a patient has swallowing dysfunction. Pneumonia should be diagnosed not only from radiological features but also based on clinical symptoms and signs. Chest shadowing with gravity dependence may not be specific to aspiration pneumonia, but it may be helpful for the diagnosis of aspiration pneumonia in conjunction with screening for aspiration risks.