Case: Chest radiograph #49082190
Chest Advanced
Read this radiograph systematically before revealing the answer. What is the main abnormality?
Image: James Heilman, MD via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized and converted to WebP
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Answer: Thoracic aortic aneurysm
What to look for in thoracic aortic aneurysm
- Widened or abnormally prominent aortic contour (knuckle or descending aorta).
- Mediastinal widening that follows the course of the aorta.
- Curvilinear wall calcification may outline the dilated aorta.
- Plain film cannot exclude or characterise aneurysm or dissection; CT angiography is required.
Description by the image author (may be in another language): Thoracic aortic aneurysm
Educational case. The diagnosis comes from the image's documented source; the "what to look for" list describes the condition in general and is not a report of this individual image.
