Journal of computer assisted tomography
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J Comput Assist Tomogr · Sep 2004
ReviewAcute respiratory distress syndrome. Computed tomography findings and their applications to mechanical ventilation therapy.
In acute respiratory distress syndrome, computed tomography (CT) typically demonstrates symmetric ground-glass opacity and gravity-dependent consolidation when patients are positioned supine. Moreover, CT findings may vary according to the evolutional stage of the disease over time. The slope of the pressure-volume curve, which is a direct or indirect measure of lung recruitment rather than a measure of the characteristics of the respiratory mechanics of a portion of the aerated lung, indicates the potential for recruitment. ⋯ By partially relieving cardiac and abdominal compression, positioning patients in prone and semirecumbent positions may reopen dependent and caudal lung regions and improve gas exchange. The mean CT attenuation of a given region is equivalent to its aeration. Computed tomography, especially helical CT, may help to assess alveolar recruitment and lung overinflation by providing information on whole-lung attenuation.