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 ratio300 (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.