Analysis of chest x-ray and clinical finding in children with pneumonia

Abstract

Background and objective: The objectives of the study research were to determine the relationship between clinical and chest X-ray findings of pediatric patients. Methods: A Prospective clinical study carried out at Raparin hospital in Erbil city, Iraq. A sample of 356 children admitted between Decembers 2004 and June 2005 from emergency ward and inwards in Raparin hospital were collected with age range from 2 months to 10 years with mean age of 19 months. All children had chest radiography on the bases of clinical decision by pediatricians. Descriptive and statistical procedures were used to analyze the data. Results: All children had signs and symptoms of respiratory infections for instance, fever (87.4%), shortness of breath (99.5 %),cough (98%), tachypnea (73.5%), wheezes (93.3% ), chest retraction (80%), crepitations (82%) and, 42.4% of chest X-rays showed focal infiltrations. Three clinical parameters related to pneumonia diagnosed by chest X-ray these were, chest retraction with sensitivity of 80%, and specificity of 88.29%), tachypnea with sensitivity of 73.5% and specificity of 56.59% fever with sensitivity of 87.42% and specificity of 60.98%. Conclusion: Tachypnea, chest retraction and fever were found to be highly suggestive of pneumonia, chest x-rays was positive in about 425 of patients with pneumonia.