ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Pulmonology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1606834
Lung Consolidation Absorption Time in 238 Pediatric Cases of Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Pneumonia
Provisionally accepted
Yuexu Ou
jie cao
Bin Qin
Zhengxiu Luo
Hongqiang Du
Yuanhui Duanfenghua chenjiwei zhouyuanyuan liyinglan zhengxiaomin gan*- Children‘s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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Abstract Objective: To investigate the lung consolidation absorption time and rate in children with mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) and evaluate the impact of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) on absorption. Methods: Children hospitalized with MPP and lung consolidation in Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, between January 2018 and May 2024, were included for analysis. Patients were divided into BAL and non-BAL groups. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to adjust for baseline differences between groups, and sub-group analyses were performed to assess the effect of BAL on lung consolidation absorption speed. Results: Among 238 children with MPP and lung consolidation, females slightly outnumbered males (129 vs. 109), with a mean age of approximately 5 years. Most children received azithromycin as the first-line treatment. Lung consolidation accounted for 4.48% (IQR: 2.61%–7.35%) of the total lung volume pre-treatment, with an absorption rate of 96.08% (IQR: 88.02%–98.95%) observed during follow-up at a median interval of 17 days (IQR: 15–21 days). The median absorption speed was 2.15 cc/day (IQR: 1.23–4.01 cc/day), with complete absorption occurring within 18.96 days (IQR: 16.14–23.33 days). Comparative analysis of the BAL and non-BAL groups revealed significant differences in fever duration, hs-CRP levels, consolidation-to-total lung volume ratio at admission, follow-up intervals, and consolidation absorption speed. Following 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) to control for confounding factors, a statistically significant but small-to-medium effect persisted, with the median absorption rate remaining higher in the BAL group (2.13 cc/day) compared to the non-BAL group (1.60 cc/day). Conclusions: Using CT scan to evaluate consolidation changes in children with Mycoplasma pneumonia, most children have 96% resolution within 2–3 weeks timeframe. Those who had a bronchoscopy may have a faster resolution rate but undertaking a flexible bronchoscopy under these circumstances is not a standard procedure in most settings.
Keywords: Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia, lung CT, lung consolidation volume, consolidationabsorption time, Bronchoalveolar Lavage
Received: 06 Apr 2025; Accepted: 25 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ou, cao, Qin, Luo, Du, Duan, chen, zhou, li, zheng and gan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: xiaomin gan, Children‘s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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