Churg-Strauss syndrome: the spectrum of pulmonary CT findings in 17 patients.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the pulmonary CT findings in patients with Churg-Strauss syndrome to determine the frequency and nature of parenchymal abnormalities. CT examinations performed at the time of diagnosis in 17 patients with Churg-Strauss syndrome were retrospectively evaluated by two observers who reached a decision by consensus about the presence and nature of parenchymal abnormalities. High-resolution CT (1- to 3-mm collimation) was performed in 14 patients and conventional CT (6- to 10-mm collimation) was performed in three cases. Predominant CT findings consisted of parenchymal opacification (consolidation or ground-glass attenuation) (n = 10), pulmonary nodules (n = 2), bronchial wall thickening or dilatation (n = 2), interlobular septal thickening (n = 1), and normal anatomy (n = 2). Parenchymal opacification was predominantly peripheral (n = 6) or random in distribution (n = 4). The most common CT finding in patients with Churg-Strauss syndrome consists of areas of parenchymal opacification that may be random or peripheral in distribution. These findings are nonspecific.