Imaging Infection & Inflammation

Infectious diseases are common world wide, especially in developing countries. Some of these are relatively easy to diagnose at the bedside on the clinical picture alone (e.g. Measles, mumps, chicken pox). Some infections produce localising signs (e.g. Neck stiffness in meningitis, pain and tenderness over mastoids, sinuses, bone and joints, pleurisy, pneumonia, gall bladder and appendix), which can be further investigated by common imaging techniques (plain x-ray, ultrasound). Many common and important infections like typhoid, malaria and tuberculosis may not produce any localising signs hence diagnosis is difficult. The clinician is faced with 3 questions in a patient with fever.