NONRESOLVING PNEUMONIA - A DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC DILEMMA

A persistent pulmonary infiltrate, infiltrates which take many weeks to resolve or recurrent pulmonary infiltrates are a diagnostic challenge. In establishing diagnosis, invasive methods such as bronchoalveolar lavage or lung biopsy are often unavoidable. The terms <<persistent pulmonary infiltrates of noninfectious etiology>>, <<slowly resolving pneumonia>>, <<nonresolving pneumonia>>, and <<recurrent pneumonia>> are defined and their underlying causes are discussed in detail.