How do you diagnose pneumonia?

CXR or stethoscope: You can see it on a chest xray or a cat scan of the chest, you can hear it with a stethoscope and you can sometimes get a clue from certain blood tests.

Hx,Exam+/- xray: Physicians generally combine features of a presenting history with a physical exam & may be able to DX pneumonia on that basis. It's a bit harder in kids who can have one you cannot hear on physical exam, so xrays are often required. Many times an xray will be obtained to confirm what is suspected & may help define the probable germ & best treatments.

Diagnosis: We use the patient's history and examination. Using a stethoscope and chest x-ray we hear and see abnormal sounds and findings.