Acute respiratory distress syndrome CT

There are no findings on computed tomography (CT) that are diagnostic of ARDS. CT scan may be used to better define the extent of lung injury or identify potential underlying causes of ARDS.

There are no findings on computed tomography (CT) that are diagnostic of ARDS. CT scan may be used to better define the extent of lung injury or identify potential underlying causes of ARDS. CT may also be used in the evaluation of patients with ARDS. Although there are no CT findings that are diagnostic of ARDS, common findings include:

• Pulmonary opacification that appears more dense in the dependent lung zones
• Ground-glass opacities that may either be patchy or diffuse
• Islands of normal-appearing lung parenchyma