Causes of misdiagnosis of cystic fibrosis on CT scan
YUAN Hongli
TAO Yafei
WANG Shihui
CHENG Yan
LI Wei
WANG Shuyu
Abstract：Objective To analyze the causes and preventive measures of misdiagnosis of cystic fibrosis(CF)on CT scan.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data and imaging manifestations of one pediatric patient with CF misdiagnosed on CT scan in March 2023.Results During hospital admission for respiratory infection,the patient,with a history of recurrent respiratory infections,underwent a CT scan and was initially diagnosed with bronchiectasis.However,the corresponding treatment was not effective.A diagnosis of CF was ultimately confirmed through genetic testing.The duration of misdiagnosis was 10 d.After airway secretion clearance and infection control,follow-up CT at 30 d post-admission showed significant improvement in pulmonary inflammation and alleviation of clinical symptoms,leading to discharge.Follow-up since discharge has revealed two recurrent episodes of respiratory tract infection,and clinical symptoms were relieved following symptomatic treatment with expectorant and infection control therapy.Conclusion Radiologists should enhance their knowledge of imaging manifestations of this diseases and its differentiation from similar conditions.In clinical practice,if patients present with recurrent respiratory infections and CT reveals bronchiectasis,bronchial wall thickening,and mucus plugs,particularly in the upper lungs,CF should be considered.Early sweat chloride testing and CF transmembrane conductance regulator(CFTR)testing are recommended to facilitate diagnosis.
Keywords：lungscystic fibrosismisdiagnosisbronchiectasisct diagnosisgenetic testingsweatchloride ionscystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator
Publication Date：2025-11-13
Online Publishing Date：2025-11-26(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 7-12 )