Radiographic diagnosis of hyaline membrane disease.

THE ANTEMORTEM (clinical) diagnosis of hyaline membrane disease remains difficult because of the lack of a definitive test. This lack affects the assessment of ancillary diagnostic technics and the evaluation of treatment. Until a satisfactory testbecomes available,further effortmust be made to improve existing technics through comparison with the ultimate criterion of autopsy confirmation. Because radiography of the thorax offers a two-dimensional view of anatomical changes within the lung, we determined to analyze our radiographic experience, which was part of an intensive study of premature newborn infants at the Tampa General Hospital. This paper describes our criteria for clinical and radiological diagnosis, makes correlations between radiographic findings and clinical distress, survival, and maturity, and analyzes the findings in relation to autopsy proof of the lesion complex of hyaline membrane disease. This experience suggests that when certain criteria are applied, radiographic study of the thor...