Practical issues concerning imaging of pulmonary infection in children

Pulmonary infection is the most common cause of illness in children and continues to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality (1). Evaluation of suspected pneumonia is one of the most common indications for imaging in children. Because of the frequency at which this scenario arises, knowledge of the issues concerning the imaging of children with pneumonia is important. The roles of imaging in these children are multiple: confirmation or exclusion of pneumonia, characterization and prediction of infectious agent, exclusion of other cause of symptoms, evaluation when there is failure to resolve, and evaluation of acute and chronic complications. The timing and indications for imaging are different in otherwise healthy children and those who have underlying medical conditions such as immunodeficiency. A separate section at the end of this article pertains to immunocompromised children. The rest of the article pertains to otherwise healthy children with pneumonia.