The cardiac width should be 50 of the thoracic width. This phenomenon is known as air bronchogram and it is a characteristic sign of consolidation. One of the initial evaluations can be to check the size of the heart. If the larger airways are spared, they are of relatively low density (blacker). If an area of lung is consolidated it becomes dense and white. They all look similar and clinical information will often help you decide the diagnosis. It is important to be aware that consolidation does not always mean there is infection, and the small airways may fill with material other than pus (as in pneumonia), such as fluid (pulmonary oedema), blood (pulmonary haemorrhage), or cells (cancer). If the alveoli and small airways fill with dense material, the lung is said to be consolidated. If there is an area that is different from the surrounding ipsilateral lung, then this is likely to be the abnormal area. Once you have spotted asymmetry, the next step is to decide which side is abnormal. Outcome is improved by early recognition and rapid institution of empirical antibiotic therapy. Fig 1 shows the impression and findings sections of a typical radiology report of. Asymmetry of lung density is represented as either abnormal whiteness (increased density), or abnormal blackness (decreased density). Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a common condition associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Radiologists produce reports with a standardized structure and clinical focus. Remember many lung diseases are bilateral and symmetricalĪssess the lungs by comparing the upper, middle and lower lung zones on the left and right.The whiter side is not always the abnormal side.In abnormal chest X-ray, consolidation opacities were the most common finding seen in 218 patients (81.3), followed by reticular interstitial thickening seen in 107 patients (39.9) and GGO seen in 87 patients (32.5).

Compare an area of abnormality with the rest of the lung on the same side During follow-up chest X-ray studies, 48 patients (13.7) of the normal baseline CXR showed CXR abnormalities.In this article we will focus on: Normal anatomy and variants. The interpretation of a chest film requires the understanding of basic principles. One of the most difficult things to learn when first reading Chest X-Ray (CXR). In fact every radiologst should be an expert in chest film reading. This website was created to help introduce medical students to chest radiology. Compare the left and right upper, middle and lower lung zones The chest x-ray is the most frequently requested radiologic examination.

Normal chest x ray findings report