Role of computed tomography in the diagnosis of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome
(ALI/ARDS) is a complex pulmonary pathology with
high mortality rates, manifesting over a wide range of severity.
Clinical diagnosis relies on the following 4 criteria stated
by the American-European Consensus Conference: acute
onset of impaired gas exchange, severe hypoxemia defined
as a PaO2 to FiO2 ratio <300 (PaO2 in mmHg), bilateral diffuse
infiltration on chest X-ray; pulmonary artery wedge
pressure of !18 mmHg to rule out cardiogenic causes of
pulmonary edema. The aim of this study was to determine
the usefulness of CT in the diagnosis and management of
this condition.