Abstract
The recent report on “Chest X-ray and CT findings in H7N9 influenza” is very interesting (1). Lin et al. concluded that “Radiological changes associated with both acute pneumonia and acute interstitial inflammation were observed in early H7N9 avian influenza cases”. In fact, the radiological appearance in H7N9 avian influenza is not different from classical influenza and the use of chest X-ray might not be a tool to differentiate H7N9 avian influenza from other diseases (2). Concerning CT, it cannot help differentiate H7N9 avian influenza from other diseases (2,3). Nevertheless, the use of radiological assessment can still be useful in assessment of the severity of the infection. As Wang et al. noted in H7N0 avian influenza, “imaging findings closely mirrored the overall clinical severity of the disease” (4), which is similar to any other influenza infections.