Mycoplasma pneumoniae Pneumonia: Differential Diagnosis by Computerized Tomography

OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND: This study was designed to clarify chest computerized tomography (CT) findings of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia facilitating differential diagnosis from CAP (community acquired pneumonia) caused by other organisms. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the CT findings of 36 patients (median age 33 years, 15 males, 21 females) with serologically proven M. pneumoniae pneumonia and 52 patients (median age 61 years, 37 males, 15 females) suffering from CAP with no serological evidence of M. pneumoniae infection. The CT images were analyzed by experienced pulmonologists. RESULTS: The most common finding in the M. pneumoniae pneumonia group was bronchial wall thickening, when we compared it with the CAP group (p<0.0001, Fisher's exact probability test). In the CAP group infected with other organisms, dense consolidations with air bronchograms were more frequent than any other findings (p=0.0279, chi-square test). CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of M. pneumoniae pneumonia would appear to be reliable when we found bronchial wall thickening in the chest CT images.