Imaging Identifies Severe Case of H1N1

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have found that imaging can now be used as a tool for identifying severe cases of H1N1 and may play a key role in understanding the pathogenesis of the virus, possibly leading to earlier diagnoses of severe cases in the future. The study will be published in the December issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.
 
“The role of radiologic imaging in epidemic detection and response is evolving, with imaging being used as a tool for identifying severe cases,” says Daniel J. Mollura, MD, lead author of the study. “At the Center for Infectious Disease Imaging at the NIH, the study of influenza is a priority, with a focus on achieving early diagnosis and understanding its pathogenesis.”
 
Imaging revealed a severe case of H1N1 after a patient had tested negative using a nasal swab rapid antigen test. Radiography showed peripheral lung opacities, and CT revealed peripheral ground-glass opacities. Both findings raised suspicion of H1N1, and reports revealed that the patient later died from a severe case of H1N1.
 
  “Early CT may help clinicians recognize cases of severe influenza and monitor response to treatment,” says Mollura. “More cases will certainly need to be analyzed and compared in the future, but this is a promising early result.”
 
— Source: American Roentgen Ray Society