Radiographic patterns and viral studies in childhood pneumonia at various ages.

We aimed at evaluating the relationship between microbial etiology and chest radiograph appearance in various types of pneumonia. In a prospective study, the radiographic findings in 479 cases of acute pneumonia in children were compared with viral etiology and growth of potential bacterial pathogens in nasopharyngeal secretion. As the basis for viral etiology was most conclusive, the material was here classified according to the viral findings. The patients were divided into three age groups: 0-2, 3-5 and 6-15 years. The chest radiograms were analyzed blindly for the presence of hyperinflation and interstitial, alveolar and mixed interstitial-alveolar infiltrates. There was a statistically significant relationship between low age and occurrence of hyperinflation and interstitial infiltrates, and between high age and alveolar infiltrates. No unequivocal relationship was found between type of infiltrates or presence of atelectasis and proven viral etiology. We conclude that chest radiographs are not a useful indicator of microbial etiology in childhood pneumonia.