Case: Chest radiograph #6597370
Chest Intermediate
Read this radiograph systematically before revealing the answer. What is the main abnormality?
Image: Hellerhoff via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized and converted to WebP
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): Atelektase des linken Oberlappens in der Thorax-Röntgenaufnahme. Es zeigt sich eine flächige Verschattung der linken Thoraxhälfte und ein Mediastinalshift nach links. Die Lappengrenzen sind in dieser Projektion nicht erkennbar.
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.
