Chest radiograph screening for severe acute respiratory syndrome in the ED.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the use of chest radiography for the screening of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). We retrospectively analyzed all patients who attended an Emergency Department SARS screening clinic during the outbreak in Hong Kong, from March 10 to June 5, 2003. Patients with clinical and epidemiologic suspicion of SARS were evaluated by serial chest radiography.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome: thin-section computed tomography features, temporal changes, and clinicoradiologic correlation during the convalescent period.

Objective: To evaluate thin-section computed tomography findings of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the convalescent period and to correlate the results with clinical parameters and lung function tests.

Methods: Ninety-nine severe acute respiratory syndrome patients with persistent changes on follow-up chest radiography were included. One hundred seventy computed tomography examinations at baseline (n=70), 3 months (n=56), and 6 months (n=44) were retrospectively evaluated to determine the extent of ground-glass opacification, reticulation, and total parenchymal involvement.