Chest X-ray Findings and Some Clinical Aspects in Pulmonary Paragonimiasis

¹ The medical department of the National Taiwan University Hospital.

1. Chest x-ray films and some other clinical figures have been studied in 100 cases of proved pulmonary paragonimiasis.

2. Contrary to the previous general belief, x-ray findings of pulmonary paragonimiasis may reveal one or several kinds of abnormalities; namely well-defined nodules, ill-defined transient opacities, pleurisy, spontaneous pneumothorax and ring shadows, provided they are well followed up from the onset of disease.

3. It is difficult to differentiate these abnormalities from those of tuberculosis or bronchopneumonia by x-ray films alone with some exceptional cases in which the impression from the findings as a whole is definitely unlike that of tuberculosis.

4. The incidence of pleurisy with or without effusion is high and it is often the first manifestation. High percentage of eosinophils in the pleural effusion has its diagnostic value to differentiate from tuberculous pleurisy.

5. Slight leucocytosis with differential count of considerable eosinophilia in peripheral blood are rather common.

6. The mean value of blood sedimentation rate in this disease is slightly increased. It has a such a wide range it is not valuable in diagnosis.

7. Eosinophilia in the cerebrospinal fluid may be the key point to differentiate the cerebral complication of this disease from other cerebral conditions.

8. Subcutaneous creeping tumors, if present, are strongly suggestive of this disease in Taiwan. [SEE FIGURE 4A AND 4B IN SOURCE PDF.]