A “Galactic” Chest X-ray

Diagnostics

Angela de Matthaeis¹  Antonio Mirijello¹  Salvatore De Cosmo¹  Evaristo Maiello²  Concetta Di Micco²  Paolo Graziano³  Cristiano Carbonelli⁴ 

[1] Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy;Unit of Oncology, Department of Medical Sciences, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy;Unit of Pathology, Department of Services, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy;Unit of Pneumology, Department of Medical Sciences, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy;

关键词: miliary pulmonary involvement;    interventional pulmonology;    lung cancer;    metastasis;   

DOI  :  10.3390/diagnostics11050899

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Clinical manifestations accompanying respiratory failure with insidious and rapidly progressive onset are often non-specific. Symptoms such as a cough, dyspnea, and fever are common to a large number of inflammatory, infectious, or neoplastic diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic it is essential to limit the use of hospital services and inappropriate diagnostic techniques. A particular radiological pattern can orient the clinical and laboratory scenario and guide the diagnostic workup. A 58-year-old woman was admitted to our COVID-19 unit for suspected coronavirus infection. She was complaining of worsening dyspnea, tachycardia, and low grade fever. A chest X-ray showed diffuse, alveolar, and interstitial lung involvement with micronodules tending to coalescence. This radiographic pattern known as “galaxy sign”, consistent with diffuse, coalescing nodular miliary pulmonary involvement, simulating a non-specific alveolar opacification of the lungs is typical of a few pneumological differential diagnoses, represented by sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, pneumoconiosis, and metastatic lesions, and virtually excludes an interstitial viral pneumonitis. The use of endoscopic techniques can, in such cases, confirm the clinical suspicion for initiating appropriate targeted therapies.

【 授权许可】

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