Chest CT Scans Can Help Diagnose Pneumonia
By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, March 18, 2025 -- Low-dose CT chest scans could help detect pneumonia in at-risk patients while exposing them to small amounts of radiation, a new study says.
Ultra-low-dose scans can effectively detect pneumonia in patients with compromised immune systems, helping doctors treat the infection before it becomes life-threatening, researchers reported in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging.
The scans do so while exposing patients to just 2% of the radiation dose used in a standard CT scan, researchers said.
“This study paves the way for safer, AI-driven imaging that reduces radiation exposure while preserving diagnostic accuracy,” lead researcher Dr. Maximiliano Klug, a radiologist with the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, said in a news release.
CT scans are the gold standard for detecting pneumonia, Klug said, but there are concerns regarding the risk posed by repeated exposure to radiation.
Ultra-low-dose CT reduces radiation exposure, but the scans can be grainy and hard to read, researchers said.
To overcome that, Klug's team developed an AI program that could help “de-noise” low-dose scans, making them sharper and easier to read.
Between September 2020 and December 2022, 54 patients with compromised immune systems who had fevers underwent a pair of chest CT scans -- a normal dose scan and an ultra-low-dose scan.
The AI program cleaned up the low-dose scan, and then both sets of images were given to a pair of radiologists for assessment.
Radiologists had 100% accuracy detecting pneumonia and other lung problems with the AI-cleaned low-dose scans, but 91% to 98% accuracy in examining the scans that hadn’t been improved through AI, results show.
“This pilot study identified infection with a fraction of the radiation dose,” Klug said. “This approach could drive larger studies and ultimately reshape clinical guidelines, making denoised ultra-low dose CT the new standard for young immunocompromised patients.”
Sources
- Radiological Society of North America, news release, March 13, 2025
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted March 2025
Read this next
Ritz Peanut Butter Crackers Recalled Over Labeling Mistake
FRIDAY, July 11, 2025 — A labeling mistake has led to a nationwide recall of four different types of Ritz Peanut Butter Cracker Sandwich cartons, federal health officials...
RFK Jr. Cancels Key U.S. Health Panel Meeting Without Warning, Raising Concerns
FRIDAY, July 11, 2025 — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled a meeting of government health panel that helps guide what preventive care is covered by...
U.S. Cuts to HIV Aid Could Lead to 4 Million Deaths, U.N. Warns
FRIDAY, July 11, 2025 — Global deaths from AIDS have dropped to their lowest levels in more than 30 years, in part due to efforts to fight HIV. But U.S. funding cuts could...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.