Can someone please help me interepret my chest CT scan in detail?

Posted by nicoletta27 @nicoletta27, Sep 23 4:47pm

I had a chest CT Friday; results are "Patchy groundglass interstitial infiltrate in the left upper lobe. No alveolar infiltrate, effusion, mass, nor endobronchial lesion. Punctate subpleural left upper lobe nodule"

Severe allergic asthmatic who moved to Chattanooga, TN a year ago. This is the 2nd time my asthma flare-up has taken me down for a month. My asthma doc already has me on 4 meds, & the first round of antibiotics & steroids did not work, so he sent me to get CT. They are treating it as pneumonia. I'm scared it's worse.

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Patch ground glass interstitial reads like mine did when I had pneumonia. Did they fo a test to determine whether the pneumonia is viral or bacterial?

The part about the, "No alveolar infiltrate, effusion, mass, nor endobronchial lesion", is good news.

Sorry, I have no clue what "Punctate subpleural left upper lobe nodule" means.

REPLY

moderator doesn't want CTs to be uploaded
for privacy.
there should be a possibility to discuss CTs anonymously.
from the papers at google-scholar I get the impression that these CTs
are the most important tool for lung-diagnosis.
---------------------------
there should be a database of CTs
they should say in which (of the hundreds of) images they see the patterns
and show similar images from other CTs
this should be done in one big international center with
computer assistance
-------------------------

as I understand
GGO (ground glass opacity) and consolidation (so much GGO that it can't be
distinguished from vessels) means that there is fluid in the alveoli
which is typical for pneumonia, infections . (as on my own CTs).
I haven't seen yet other causes for it, but haven't searched much.
They should go away after some weeks, when the pneumonia is gone.
Well, they wrote "no alveolar infiltrate" so this may mean small droplets
or mucus in the alveoli causing the GGO.
What's the mechanism ? I don;t know. Maybe some immune reaction
to the bacteria or viruses (GGO is also frequent in COVID)

I'm not a doctor and looking at CTs just since some months,
because of my own lung problems and as a programmer who did
computer-image-processing before.

OK, I found one public database of 1500 axial CTs , 150000 pictures from people with
pneumonia at hospital admission :
http://ncov-ai.big.ac.cn/download
I'm working on these ... automatically detecting bulla,pneumothorax,
bronchiectasis,GGO,consolidation ...

I'm not looking at nodules yet , which I think is probably mainly for cancer

you can also just search images or videos in a search-engine with keywords
pneumonia,CT (GGO) and then compare these images with your CT.
I'm just copying the *.jpgs from the "dicom-" CD .
Modern computers no longer support CDs

REPLY
@bsi15

moderator doesn't want CTs to be uploaded
for privacy.
there should be a possibility to discuss CTs anonymously.
from the papers at google-scholar I get the impression that these CTs
are the most important tool for lung-diagnosis.
---------------------------
there should be a database of CTs
they should say in which (of the hundreds of) images they see the patterns
and show similar images from other CTs
this should be done in one big international center with
computer assistance
-------------------------

as I understand
GGO (ground glass opacity) and consolidation (so much GGO that it can't be
distinguished from vessels) means that there is fluid in the alveoli
which is typical for pneumonia, infections . (as on my own CTs).
I haven't seen yet other causes for it, but haven't searched much.
They should go away after some weeks, when the pneumonia is gone.
Well, they wrote "no alveolar infiltrate" so this may mean small droplets
or mucus in the alveoli causing the GGO.
What's the mechanism ? I don;t know. Maybe some immune reaction
to the bacteria or viruses (GGO is also frequent in COVID)

I'm not a doctor and looking at CTs just since some months,
because of my own lung problems and as a programmer who did
computer-image-processing before.

OK, I found one public database of 1500 axial CTs , 150000 pictures from people with
pneumonia at hospital admission :
http://ncov-ai.big.ac.cn/download
I'm working on these ... automatically detecting bulla,pneumothorax,
bronchiectasis,GGO,consolidation ...

I'm not looking at nodules yet , which I think is probably mainly for cancer

you can also just search images or videos in a search-engine with keywords
pneumonia,CT (GGO) and then compare these images with your CT.
I'm just copying the *.jpgs from the "dicom-" CD .
Modern computers no longer support CDs

Jump to this post

@nicoletta27
Ideally, you should have another visit with your doctor who should explain the CT findings.
The patchy ground glass infiltrate could be pneumonia, which they are treating you for I believe.
It could also represent scarring from previous infections. These ground glass findings can change with time, even disappear ( my own experience).
The punctuate nodule obviously is tiny and usually not important. It’s possible that they want to look at that another time in the future.
Like you, I have asthma- sporadic with different seasons or with infections such as flu or pneumonia, a couple of times very severe.
X-rays from these events have shown findings like yours.

REPLY

I would assume also the infiltrate is related to the pneumonia. You mention they are "treating as"...does that mean you are on antibiotics to treat it or any medication? The nodule is what would have my attention more. I would ask what size it is if its not already indicated on your report. As far as nodules go, size matters. I think under 5-6mm they aren't overly concerned about them but even at that size it might not hurt to have another look in a few months. Greater than 6mm I would definitely want follow up.

REPLY
@astaingegerdm

@nicoletta27
Ideally, you should have another visit with your doctor who should explain the CT findings.
The patchy ground glass infiltrate could be pneumonia, which they are treating you for I believe.
It could also represent scarring from previous infections. These ground glass findings can change with time, even disappear ( my own experience).
The punctuate nodule obviously is tiny and usually not important. It’s possible that they want to look at that another time in the future.
Like you, I have asthma- sporadic with different seasons or with infections such as flu or pneumonia, a couple of times very severe.
X-rays from these events have shown findings like yours.

Jump to this post

Hi Ingegerd, You mentioned that you had ground glass findings that disappeared? Can you tell me more about that please? I have four GG nodules detected on a recent CT scan. Big surprise for me and I am very worried about them. Range in size from 4-5 mm to 6-7mm. Round, ground glass density, Indistinct margins. The LUNG/Rads category assigned to them is 2. They recommend repeat scan in 12 months. That seems like an awfully long time to me. How many did you have and what size if I may ask and also if they disappeared what was the time frame in which that happened. Thanks so much for your insight. I hope you are doing well.

REPLY

@hercules
The specialists can not say exactly why I have patches of ground glass appearance. They come and go and usually don’t show in the same place. One explanation is inflammation of some kind. I have dealt with episodes of GI autoimmune inflammation.
There have also been nodules, most quite small, but there was one around 8-9 mm. As per protocol regarding pulmonary nodules I had regular CT scans, every 6 months. No change noticed until last year when it had grown to be more than 10 mm and also changed appearance. It now looked like adenocarcinoma, a fairly slow growing tumor. A biopsy confirmed it. PET scan did not detect any spread so it was a stage 1. I had the option of surgical removal or radiation. I decided on radiation- outcome would be the same. I now have CT scans every 4 months. All stable. After the first year or so the scans probably go to a 6 month interval.
I feel very lucky that it was discovered because of a chest X-ray after pneumonia treatment.
I have had a pulmonary doctor for many years, for asthma. He now also follows my scans along with the oncologist.
In your case I think 12 months is too long to wait. Do you have a pulmonary doctor?

REPLY
@astaingegerdm

@hercules
The specialists can not say exactly why I have patches of ground glass appearance. They come and go and usually don’t show in the same place. One explanation is inflammation of some kind. I have dealt with episodes of GI autoimmune inflammation.
There have also been nodules, most quite small, but there was one around 8-9 mm. As per protocol regarding pulmonary nodules I had regular CT scans, every 6 months. No change noticed until last year when it had grown to be more than 10 mm and also changed appearance. It now looked like adenocarcinoma, a fairly slow growing tumor. A biopsy confirmed it. PET scan did not detect any spread so it was a stage 1. I had the option of surgical removal or radiation. I decided on radiation- outcome would be the same. I now have CT scans every 4 months. All stable. After the first year or so the scans probably go to a 6 month interval.
I feel very lucky that it was discovered because of a chest X-ray after pneumonia treatment.
I have had a pulmonary doctor for many years, for asthma. He now also follows my scans along with the oncologist.
In your case I think 12 months is too long to wait. Do you have a pulmonary doctor?

Jump to this post

Thank you for the details. Im sorry that the nodule turned ominous in your case but very glad to hear it was caught early, treated, and you are now stable. Can you tell me how much time it took for it to grow from 8-9mm to more than 10mm with changed appearance? I am assuming when it was 8-9mm it was Ground Glass nodule and then changed in density or shape to make your team suspicious for malignancy? Im glad you were able to get confirmation with biopsy as well as I have read that many times this is not possible and makes decision making even more challenging. Thanks so much for your reply. It helps to have others to talk to regarding these things. I feel like it's more productive vs. just worrying myself sick over something I can't do much about in the present moment.

REPLY
@hercules

Thank you for the details. Im sorry that the nodule turned ominous in your case but very glad to hear it was caught early, treated, and you are now stable. Can you tell me how much time it took for it to grow from 8-9mm to more than 10mm with changed appearance? I am assuming when it was 8-9mm it was Ground Glass nodule and then changed in density or shape to make your team suspicious for malignancy? Im glad you were able to get confirmation with biopsy as well as I have read that many times this is not possible and makes decision making even more challenging. Thanks so much for your reply. It helps to have others to talk to regarding these things. I feel like it's more productive vs. just worrying myself sick over something I can't do much about in the present moment.

Jump to this post

@hercules
I guess it happened over 3 years. It changed appearance during the 6 months prior to diagnosis.
I already had an excellent pulmonologist. He knew another one at a large cancer center. This physician performed the biopsy through bronchoscopy. I was lucky I guess that it could be reached this way. Not all nodules are able to be reached this way.
Some of the smaller nodules disappeared.
I was a smoker- stopped 45 years ago! They didn’t think it was a factor at this point.
My only advice to you is contacting a pulmonary specialist to find out how often you should be monitored. There is a protocol depending on various factors. Don’t be afraid- you are going to do the best you can!

REPLY
@astaingegerdm

@hercules
I guess it happened over 3 years. It changed appearance during the 6 months prior to diagnosis.
I already had an excellent pulmonologist. He knew another one at a large cancer center. This physician performed the biopsy through bronchoscopy. I was lucky I guess that it could be reached this way. Not all nodules are able to be reached this way.
Some of the smaller nodules disappeared.
I was a smoker- stopped 45 years ago! They didn’t think it was a factor at this point.
My only advice to you is contacting a pulmonary specialist to find out how often you should be monitored. There is a protocol depending on various factors. Don’t be afraid- you are going to do the best you can!

Jump to this post

Thank you for that information. It sounds like you and your team were really on top of your nodules, watching them closely and getting proper diagnosis and treatment once you saw one turning. I hope all of this has made your prognosis excellent and you won't have to worry about this ever again. I do have an appointment with a pulmonologist on Nov. 1st. I hope she will be a good one for me. I will push for earlier follow up than the one year protocol based on my scan. Sitting here today knowing how much I have already fretted over this since I got the results 4 days ago, I can't imagine how I can just sit here for a whole year without a clue as to what's going on in my lungs. Thanks for the encouragement. It helps to have someone to talk to!

REPLY
@bsi15

moderator doesn't want CTs to be uploaded
for privacy.
there should be a possibility to discuss CTs anonymously.
from the papers at google-scholar I get the impression that these CTs
are the most important tool for lung-diagnosis.
---------------------------
there should be a database of CTs
they should say in which (of the hundreds of) images they see the patterns
and show similar images from other CTs
this should be done in one big international center with
computer assistance
-------------------------

as I understand
GGO (ground glass opacity) and consolidation (so much GGO that it can't be
distinguished from vessels) means that there is fluid in the alveoli
which is typical for pneumonia, infections . (as on my own CTs).
I haven't seen yet other causes for it, but haven't searched much.
They should go away after some weeks, when the pneumonia is gone.
Well, they wrote "no alveolar infiltrate" so this may mean small droplets
or mucus in the alveoli causing the GGO.
What's the mechanism ? I don;t know. Maybe some immune reaction
to the bacteria or viruses (GGO is also frequent in COVID)

I'm not a doctor and looking at CTs just since some months,
because of my own lung problems and as a programmer who did
computer-image-processing before.

OK, I found one public database of 1500 axial CTs , 150000 pictures from people with
pneumonia at hospital admission :
http://ncov-ai.big.ac.cn/download
I'm working on these ... automatically detecting bulla,pneumothorax,
bronchiectasis,GGO,consolidation ...

I'm not looking at nodules yet , which I think is probably mainly for cancer

you can also just search images or videos in a search-engine with keywords
pneumonia,CT (GGO) and then compare these images with your CT.
I'm just copying the *.jpgs from the "dicom-" CD .
Modern computers no longer support CDs

Jump to this post

@bsi15, you're correct. People should remove any personal identifying information before uploading an imaging study to a public forum like Mayo Clinic Connect. This includes removing first and last name, MRN (medical record number), date of birth, location, instituation, etc.

With that information removed, you are free to post imaging studies and test results for discussion. Keep in mind, that Mayo Clinic Connect is an online patient community where people share their experiences, exchange helpful tips and information, and give and get support on their health journeys. Experiences and information shared by members on the Mayo Clinic Connect are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See more in the Community Guidelines https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/tab/community-guidelines/

As a programmer with experience in computer-image-processing, I can see your keen interest in finding answers through large data sets. While the patient community is not the place to securely collect patient data and all encompassing data sets, you'll be pleased to know that Mayo Clinic is a leader in collaborating with other institutions to analyze large datasets. See more info about The Mayo Clinic Platform_Discover https://www.mayoclinicplatform.org/discover/

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