Objective: To evaluate the appearance and dynamic change of chest roentgenography and CT in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
Methods: Serial roentgenography and CT of 61 confirmed SARS patients were analyzed.
Results: The onset symptom was fever in all patients. In the early phase of SARS, the main abnormal appearance was single or bilateral localized patchy clouding opacity on roentgenography, which progressed rapidly. The area of opacity peaked at about 2 weeks, involving the majority area of the lung in 57% of the patients. The area involved was correlated with the severity of clinical symptoms. The opacity disappeared gradually in 5 weeks in 84% of the patients. Lungs complicated infection were found in 6 patients with a prolonged duration of the illness. Among the 61 patients, 4 died. CT scan was performed in 16 SARS patients in the recovery phase, of whom 13 showed lung fibrosis.
Conclusions: Lung infiltration in early phase develops rapidly and involves most area of the lung in advanced phase in most SARS patients. Lungs fibrosis was found in some patients in the recovery phase.