[Differential diagnosis of adult respiratory distress syndrome in the roentgen image].

The radiologist makes an important contribution to the diagnosis and follow-up monitoring of ARDS by supplying a stage classification of the disease pattern and by drawing early attention to complications. However, the list of differential diagnoses is so long that in all cases accurate radiological assessment can be performed only if the clinical data are known. If not, all the radiologist can do is to list a number of suspected diagnoses that are more or less probable.