Case: Chest radiograph #4281007
Chest Intermediate
Read this radiograph systematically before revealing the answer. What is the main abnormality?
Tip: scroll or pinch to zoom, drag to pan, and try Invert.
Answer: Lung collapse (atelectasis)
What to look for in lung collapse (atelectasis)
- Increased density of the affected lung or lobe.
- Signs of volume loss: displaced fissures, raised hemidiaphragm, crowding of vessels or ribs.
- Shift of the trachea, mediastinum or hilum TOWARDS the affected side.
- Silhouetting of the adjacent heart border or hemidiaphragm, depending on the lobe.
Description by the image author (may be in another language): A chest radiograph demonstrating lung hyperinflation with a flattened diaphragm and bilateral atelectasis in the right apical and left basal regions in a 16-day-old infant.
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.
