Case: Lines & tubes radiograph #126143469
Lines & tubes Beginner
Read this radiograph systematically before revealing the answer. What is the main abnormality?
Image: Hellerhoff via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized and converted to WebP
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Answer: Endotracheal tube
What to look for in endotracheal tube
- A tube projected over the tracheal air column, ending above the carina.
- Check the tip position: in adults roughly 5 cm (range about 3–7 cm) above the carina with the head neutral.
- A tip in a main bronchus (usually the right) can collapse the opposite lung.
Description by the image author (may be in another language): Chest X-ray showing endotracheal tube within the right main bronchus. This is undesirable as it can cause increase inflation of right lung while left lung is not inflated.
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.
