Computerised tomography scan imaging in acute respiratory distress syndrome

Computerised tomography (CT) is being used with increasing frequency in acu te respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients. This brief review will di scuss some of the clinical insights that a CT scan can offer. A large numbe r of CT scan studies have provided new insights into the pathophysiology of ARDS and of mechanical ventilation, and are particularly focused on the re cruitment-derecruitment phenomenon. To this end, newer fast CT scan technol ogy promises a dynamic, rather than a static view of lung ventilation.