Costophrenic Sulci Sharp
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Airways Bones/soft tissue Cardiac silhouette/mediastinum Diaphragm and pleura Everything else (effusions) Fields (lung fields)
Right and left markers for extremities are indicate...
which side of the body the xray was taken
How do vessles and bronchi show up on chest xray?
White lines
Are bronchi normally visible on chest xray?
No - they're filled with air and have thin walls
Can you normally see the visceral/parietal pleura on a chest xray?
No
Is there normally air in the pleural space?
No
In an upright chest xray, blood flow to the bases is (greater/lesser) than at the apices
greater - due to gravity
Vessel lumen size is generally (bigger/smaller) at the bases of lungs than at the apices
bigger
Lateral chest x-ray key areas
"Ryan Has Found The Diaphragm" The retrosternal space Hilar region Fissures Thoracic spine Diaphragm and posterior costophrenic sulci
Normal retrosternal space
Lucent crescent between sternum and ascending aorta
Normal hilar region
no discrete mass present
Normal fissures
Major and minor fissures should be pencil point thin, if even seen
Normal thoracic spine
Rectangular vertebral bodies with parallel end plates, disk spacecs maintain height
Normal Diaphragm and posterior costophrenic sulci
Right hemidiaphragm slightly higher than the left, sharp posterior costophrenic sulci
What do the costophrenic angles normally look like?
Acute and sharply outlined
Blunted costophrenic angles can indicate...
pleural effusion
How much pleural fluid is required to cause a appreciable blunting of the posterior costophrenic angle on the lateral view?
100 mL
How much pleural fluid is required to produce a blunting of the costophrenic angle on a PA view Chest Xray?
300 mL
Normal cardiothoracic ratio in adults
<50% - heart is less than 1/2 of internal diameter of thoracic cage
Normal cardiothoracic ratio in infants?
<65%
Airspace (alveolar) disease on a chest xray looks like...
Opacities described as fluffy, cloudlike, and hazy Bronchograms may be present
Bronchograms
Series of black, branching tubular structures - sign of airspace disease
Interstitial disease presents as what on a chest xray?
Discrete, reticular, nodular, or reticulonodular patterns "Pockets" of disesae are separated by normal appearing aerated lung
what does a spine sign on a lateral x-ray aid in identifying
Lower lobe process such as pneumonia
Silhouette sign
Two substances of the same density touch each other and blur the edges between them - can't tell where one object begins and other ends
Silhouette and spine sign aid in localizing...
pneumonia
Interstitial disease characteristics
Discrete reticular, nodular, or reticulonodular patterns "Packets" of disease are separated by normal aerated lung No air bronchograms present
lung interstitium consists of...
Connective tissue Lymphatics Blood vessels Bronchi
Reticular pattern chest Xray
Lots of lines
Nodular pattern on chest xray
Lots of dots
Reticulonodular pattern on chest xray
Lines and dots
Kerley A lines
Thickening of bronchovascular/axial interstitium - sign of pulmonary edema
Kerley B lines
Thickening of the peripheral interstitium near the costophrenic angle - sign of pulmonary edema
Airspace disease X ray
Cavitary lesion in upper lobe is pathogneumonic for TB
Tuberculosis Chest X ray
Cavitary lesion in upper lobe
What X ray finding is pathogneumonic for TB?
1. Atelectasis of the entire lung - complete obstruction of L or R bronchus
Miliary Tuberculosis X ray
air Opaque
Causes of opacified hemithorax
Shift of the heart and trachea towards side of atelectasis
Atelactasisis the abscence of ____ in the lung. So the hemithorax will look more (opaque/black) than normal
Visible in airspace disease Visibility of air in bronchus because of surrounding airspace disease
Chest X ray signs of atelectasis
compressing push away from the side of opacification
Pleural effusion chest x ray
opaque - since it no longer contains air
Air bronchogram
pneumonia
With a large pleural effusion, fluid such as blood, exudate/transudate can fill the pleural space and act like a mass ______ the underyling tissue and _____ the trachea/heart ______
firbous tissue opaque toward side of opacification
Pneumonia of lung - hemithorax becomes ____
Complete or partial collapse of a lung or lobe of a lung, alveoli become deflated Appears white when fluid/soft tissue is substituted for air or when air is reabsorbed No new air can enter the portion of lung distal to collapse/obstruction
If you see an opacified hemithorax, think ____
1. Displacement of the major/minor fissure toward the atelectasis 2. Increased density of the atelectatic portion of the lung 3. Shift of the mobile structures in the throax (heart, trachea, hemidiaphragms) 4. Compensatory overinflation of the unaffected segments, lobes or lungs
After a pneumonectomy, _____ fills the hemithroax resulting in a ____ appearance and a heart/trachea shift ____
1. Mucus plug 2. Tumors 3. Foreign body aspiration 4. inflammation
Atelectasis
Build up of excess fluid between the visceral and parietal pleura
Signs of atelectasis
Blunting of the posterior costophrenic sulcus (lateral view)
Most common causes of obstructive atelectasis
blunting of the lateral costophrenic sulcus (frontal view)
Pleural effusion
Opacification of the entire hemithorax in an adult
75-100 ml of fluid in pleural space shows...
fluffy, indistinct, usually homogenous in density
200-300 ml of fluid in pleural space shows....
will cause prominence of the interstitial tissues (areas outside of the airspace) of the lung in the affected area
2000 ml (2 liters) of fluid in pleural space shows...
Lobar Segmental Interstitial Round Cavitary
Airspace disease on x ray
Homogenous consolidation of affected lung with air bronchogram
Insterstitial disease on x ray
Patchy airspace disease, no air bronchogram, atelectasis can be present
Patterns of pneumonia
Most often in right lower lobe
lobar pneumonia
1. Parietal pleura remains adjacent to the inner surface of the chest wall, but the visceral pleura retracts toward hilum w/ collapsed lung 2. Visceral pleura becomes a visible thin white line
segmental pneumonia (bronchopneumonia)
Visceral pleural line
Right middle lobe pneumonia with air bronchogram
visceral pleural line
Aspiration pneumonia
Leakage of air in the pleural space, and there is no shift in mediastinal structures
Signs of pneumothorax
Progressively large amount of air gets trapped in the potential space between parietal and visceral layers Occurs when there's a one-way valve allowing air into, but not out of, the pleural space shift in mediastinal structures to opposite side CANNOT MISS
In order to dx a pneumothorax, you must be able to identify...
Bullae Skinfolds Medial border of scapula
Usually in a pneumothorax, there is an absence of lung markings peripheral to the....
Subcutaneous air on x ray
Simple pneumothorax
3-5cm
Tension pneumothorax
Right main or right lower lobe bronchi bc it's the path of least resistance
Pitfalls that resemble pneumothroax
chronic inflammatory disease in which small nodules (granulomas) develop in lungs, lymph nodes, and other organs
Emphysema
Hyperinflation of lungs Dark lung fields Low set diaphragm in 11th or 12th posterior ribs Heart is vertical and narrow Flattened diaphragms in lateral chest Retrosternal air is increased Increased AP diameter
The tip of an endotracheal tube should be about _____ cm above the carina
1. Kerley B lines (usually at lung bases near the costophrenic angle. Kerley A lines extend from the hila but do not reach the periphery of lung 2. Peribronchial cuffing (interstitial fluid accumulates around bronchi) 3. Fluid in fissures 4. Pleural effusion
Where are endotracheal tubes most commonly malpositioned?
1. Fluffy, indistinct airspace disease 2. Batwing configuration 3. Pleural effusion if edema is cardiogenic
Sarcoidosis
Air in the pleural space separates the visceral from parietal pleura
COPD
The pneumothorax itself will appear "black" (air density). The hemithorax may appear more lucent than normal
Key findings in pulmonary interstitial edema
There is NEVER a shift of theheart or trachea toward TOWARD the side of a pneumothorax
Key findings in pulmonary alveolar edema
Visceral and parietal pleura do not separate
Pleural space in pneumothroax
Atelectasis is the absence of air in the lung. The hemithorax will appear more oqauque
Density differences in a pneumothorax
There is almost always a shift of the heart and trachea TOWARD the side of atelectasis
Shift in pneumothorax
Left hemidiaphragm moves upward and may disappear (silhouette sign)
Pleural space in obstructive atelectasis
contact between the parietal pleura and visceral pleura is disruted
Density changes in an obstructive atelectasis
Pleural effusion Pneumothrorax
Shift in atelectasis
The increased pressure on the great vessels causes a decrease in venous return, reduced CO, decreased BP, hyoxia, and eventual shock
Hemidiaphragm in a left-sided atelectasis
TB
Non-obstructive atelectasis occurs when...
bronchograms
The two most common caues/etiologies of a non-obstructive atelectasis are...
asthma emphysema chornic bronchitis (COPD)
Pneumothorax is life threatening because...
there's an obstruction of an airway
Unilateral hilar adenopathy may be the only manifestation of primary infection of TB
Pleural effusion Pneumothorax
cavitary lesion in the upper lobe is pretty pathogneumonic for....
airspace disease
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