Nanae Tsuchiya, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Tsuneo Yamashiro MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Sadayuki Murayama MD, PhD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Hisashi Kamiya, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Yasutaka Nakano MD, PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Yoshiharu Ohno MD, PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Research Grant, Toshiba Corporation Research Grant, Koninklijke Philips NV Research Grant, Bayer AG Research Grant, DAIICHI SANKYO Group Research Grant, Eisai Co, Ltd Research Grant, Terumo Corporation Research Grant, Fuji Yakuhin Co, Ltd Research Grant, FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation Research Grant, Guerbet SA

To determine if thoracic CT findings are related to clinical severity in drowning patients.

The institutional review board approved this study and waived informed consent. Thoracic CT scans of drowning patients (n = 36) were reviewed retrospectively. The presence and severity of the following pulmonary CT findings were recorded: air-space consolidation, multiple lobular opacities, ground-glass opacity (GGO), and interlobular septal thickening. The severity was scored as mild (<25% of the whole lung area), moderate (25–50%), and severe (>50%). The presence of a pleural effusion was also assessed. Patients were categorized into 3 groups based on Szpilman’s grading, which is commonly used to stratify clinical risks and to determine further interventions: Group 1 (Grade 1-2), n=10; Group 2 (Grade 3-4), n=23; Group 3 (Grade 5-6), n=3.χ2 and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used to compare CT findings among the 3 groups.

The CT findings were as follows: air-space consolidation, n=20 (55.6%); GGO, n=16 (44.4%); multiple lobular opacities, n=32 (88.9%); interlobular septal thickening, n=3 (8.3%); and pleural effusion, n=4 (11.1%). The air-space consolidation score was significantly larger in the more severe groups (P < 0.01). Also, pleural effusions were more frequent in the more severe groups (P < 0.01).

On the chest CT of drowning patients, air-space consolidation and pleural effusion indicated higher severity and may suggest worse clinical outcomes.

This study is the first to demonstrate that chest CT would be useful in evaluating the clinical severity of drowning patients.

Tsuchiya, N, Yamashiro, T, Murayama, S, Kamiya, H, Nakano, Y, Ohno, Y, Drowning: Thoracic CT Findings for Predicting Clinical Severity.  Radiological Society of North America 2014 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, - ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2014/14001910.html