A review of imaging in the diagnosis and management of complicated paediatric pneumonia.

Paediatric pneumonia and its complications present substantial health and economic challenges. While chest radiographs are commonly used as the initial imaging modality for diagnosing uncomplicated pneumonia, they are less effective for complicated cases. In response, various imaging techniques, such as lung ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and chest MRI, have been integrated into clinical practice to enhance diagnosis and guide management decisions. No definitive gold standard exists for imaging complicated paediatric pneumonia and clinicians may find it challenging to choose the best imaging technique for a given clinical scenario. In this review we describe the available imaging options relevant for the management of paediatric pneumonia and evaluate the strengths and limitations of each modality.