Respiratory syncytial virus is the most common cause of lower respiratory infection (bronchiolitis and pneumonia) of infancy and early childhood. We analyzed clinical and radiological features of 76 patients with lower respiratory infections by
respiratory syncytial virus, which were diagnosed by indirect immunofluorescent test or culture of nasal aspirate in Hep-2 cell monolayer, during the period of January-December, 1991. There were peaks of incidences in March-May and
November-December,
accounting for 87% of eases. Sixty-two cases (82%) were under 1 year of age. Fifty cases(66%) had underlying diseases.
Major radiographical findings were overaeration (83%), parahilar peribronchial infiltrates(67%), segmental or subsegmental atelectasis(32%), and segmental or lobar consolidation(16%). In 15 cases(20%), overaeration was the only radiological
findings.
There was no evidence of pleural effusion or hilar lymph node enlargement in all cases.
By considerig clinical features(symptoms, age. Underlying diseases, epidemic seasons) in addition to the radiological findings, radiologists would be familiar with lower respiratory infection by respiratory syncytial virus. Air space
consolidation,
which is generally though to represent bacterial pneumonia, is also observed not infrequently in respiratory syncytial virus infections.
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