Thin-Section CT Findings in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Recipients with Respiratory Virus Pneumonia

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to use serial thin-section CT scans to assess the incidence of respiratory viral infection and lung abnormalities in a large patient population at high risk of pulmonary complications.MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study population consisted of 26 recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplants who had proven respiratory viral pneumonia. In all cases, thin-section CT scans were obtained before fiberoptic bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage. The study included only patients in whom bronchoalveolar lavage fluid showed no evidence of organisms other than respiratory viruses. The CT scans were assessed for the presence, extent, and anatomic distribution of ground-glass attenuation, air-space consolidation, nodules, centrilobular branching structures (tree-in-bud), thickening of the bronchovascular bundles, and pleural effusion.RESULTS. Areas of ground-glass attenuation were identified in 24 (92%) of 26 patients and were the only finding in eight patients. Multiple no...