Radiologic clinics of North America
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There are many causes for acute shortness of breath; the most common entity by far is congestive heart failure. Many of the others have a relatively specific radiographic pattern that afford the radiologist the opportunity to make a significant contribution to the care of these patients.
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Radiol. Clin. North Am. · Apr 1978
Radiologic evaluation of the nontraumatized child with respiratory distress.
The radiologic examination of the chest is an essential part of the evaluation of the pediatric patient presenting to the emergency room with respiratory distress. In many cases the chest radiograph will be diagnostic of a specific cause for the distressful symptom. Opaque foreign bodies are readily visualized in the tracheobronchial tree. ⋯ The presence of pneumonia, acute pulmonary edema, and pulmonary hemorrhage may be identified. Complications associated with bronchial asthma (pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax, and atelectasis) may be manifested radiographically before clinical signs are obvious. Lung compression by large mediastinal tumors and delayed congenital hernias may be readily demonstrated by chest radiography.