Washington, Oct 16 (IANS) Medical imaging has helped clinicians diagnose a severe case of H1N1 or swine flu, potentially opening the way to early detection of such cases.
“The role of radiologic imaging in epidemic detection and response is evolving, with imaging being used as a tool for identifying severe cases,” said Daniel J. Mollura of the National Institute of Health (NIH), who led the study.

“At the Center for Infectious Disease Imaging (CIDI) at the NIH, the study of influenza is a priority with a focus on achieving early diagnosis and understanding its pathogenesis,” he said, according to an NIH release.

“Early CT may help clinicians recognise cases of severe influenza and monitor response to treatment. More cases will certainly need to be analysed and compared in the future, but this is a promising early result,” said Mollura.

This study was posted online at www.ajronline.org and will appear in the December issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.