[Radiological imaging in diagnosis for atypical pulmonary abscess].

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate characteristics of the radiological image of atypical pulmonary abscess. METHOD: The X-ray and CT image in 30 cases with atypical pulmonary abscess were analyzed. RESULT: The atypical pulmonary abscesses were classified into solitary ball type and irregular infiltration type. And these two types showed the following characteristics: circumscribed dissolution or small cavity; local congestion sign; coarse and long funiform shadow in margin; ambient circumscribed infiltrating shadow; adjacent pleural thickening and adhesion. CONCLUSION: Existence of abscess and perifocal inflammatory changes is the key to diagnose and differentiate this atypical variant of lung abscess.