Diagnostic imaging played a substantial role in the management and treatment of
patients during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak when daily
chest radiographs were performed as a measure of disease severity and respiratory
status. This thesis was performed to address several issues relating to the
radiological spectrum of SARS, its temporal pattern on chest radiograph and high
resolution computed tomography (HRCT) during the course of disease, and
relationships between severity of opacities quantified on chest radiographs and
clinical parameters including treatment response. Radiological parameters that could
discriminate SARS from non-SARS community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) were
also studied.
Unifocal unilateral ground glass opacities was the dominant radiographic abnormality
at presentation that progressed rapidly to maximal disease within 9.35 ± 4.09
(median 9, range 3-21) days after onset of symptoms with bilateral consolidation in
62.5% of patients. Complete resolution and significant residual disease was noted in
50% and 20% of cases respectively at end of assessment period. There was a
temporal pattern of lung abnormalities on HRCT with ground glass opacity and
consolidation at presentation. Reticulation developed after the first week and was
present in 50% of patients at ?four weeks. HRCT was useful in illustrating
parenchymal abnormalities in patients with normal radiographs at presentation.
Severity of lung abnormalities quantified on chest radiograph at different time points
of disease correlated with clinical and laboratory parameters such as SaO2 and liver
transaminases ALT and AST. Significant relationships were also found between
radiographic parameters, and O2 supplementation and treatment response. There
are discriminating differences in the radiographic pattern, rate of radiographic
progression, and zone of involvement between SARS and non-SARS CAP. / published_or_final_version / Medicine / Master / Doctor of Medicine
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:HKU/oai:hub.hku.hk:10722/174392 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Ooi, Gaik Cheng., 黃玉清. |
| Publisher | The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) |
| Source Sets | Hong Kong University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | PG_Thesis |
| Source | http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B47468713 |
| Rights | The author retains all proprietary rights, (such as patent rights) and the right to use in future works., Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License |
| Relation | HKU Theses Online (HKUTO) |
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