Typical distribution
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Clinical information
- 30-year-old woman
- Non-smoker
- Shortness of breath, increased heart rate, coryzal symptoms with a dry cough
- COVID-19 swab positive 24 hours after this chest X-ray
Typical distribution
- COVID-19 lung disease typically causes bilateral, peripheral shadowing of the mid and lower zones of the lungs
- Lung shadowing is subtle
- Classification: Mild
Perihilar shadowing
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Clinical information
- 45-year-old woman
- Dry cough for 7 days
- Low grade fever
- COVID-19 swab positive 24 hours after this chest X-ray
Perihilar shadowing
- Bilateral shadowing of the mid and lower zones - more central in distribution than in the previous example
- This is a less specific distribution of lung shadowing in patients with acute COVID-19 lung disease
- Classification: Moderate
- Note: In patients with a perihilar distribution of disease CT frequently demonstrates the lung changes are indeed peripheral, but are located posteriorly in the lungs - see this example CT appearances page
Patchy shadowing
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Clinical information
- 65-year-old woman
- Cough and fever for several days
- Short of breath
- O2 saturation of 90% on air
- COVID-19 swab positive 4 days after this chest X-ray (first swab negative)
Patchy shadowing
- Minor patchy shadowing is bilateral and affects the lower zones
- The pattern is asymmetric with only minor peripheral shadowing
- Classification: Mild
Asymmetric shadowing
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Clinical information
- 70-year-old male
- Previous stroke
- Obesity
- 4 days of fever and cough
- O2 saturation of 82% on air
- Bibasal crackles
- COVID-19 swab positive 3 days after this chest X-ray
- This patient died 10 days after this chest X-ray
Asymmetric shadowing
- Shadowing is bilateral
- The distribution is typical on the left - lower zone and peripheral
- On the right the shadowing is central
- Classification: Moderate