radiology of the respiratory system Flashcards
describe the different levels of opacity you will see on radiographs
black: gas
dark grey: fat
grey: soft tissue/fluid (no difference really)
light grey: bone/mineral
white: metal
label
A: aorta
B: caudal vena cava
C:trachea
D/E: left/right crus of diaphragm
F: cardiac silhouette
G: cranioventral lung
H: liver
label where the lobes of the lungs should be
**right (left image): **
top: right cranial lobe
middle: right middle
caudal: right caudal
in between left and right: accessory
left (right image):
top: left cranial cranial
middle: left cranial caudal
bottom: left caudal
we cant see the borders of the lungs lobes but ntk lobes
what are the arrows pointing to
blue: bronchi (gas filled tube with soft tissue wall
yellow: blood vessel: soft tissue wall, fluid filled (same opacitites)
what questions should you be asking when determining lung abnormalities on radiographs
- lungs which are supposed to be filled with air will have some white bits with blood vessels and bronchi
- is the lung more white than you are expecting?
- is it all over (diffuse) or in a certain lobe
- what is the white coming from - usually something that is already there
describe how the bronchi should look in a normal vs abnormal radiograph
Normal:
can see the walls of the larger bronchi (middle image - hilar area) the bronchi exist right to the periphery of the lungs lobes but you cant see them on radiograph because they become too small and thin walled to be picked up. you should therefore only see large bronchi on a normal rad
Abnormal:
begin to see bronchi more clearly in the periphery and tram lines and donuts (bronchi in 2D, donuts if coming toward
why? either the walls of the bronchi become mineralised or thicker and easier to see in both cases.
example condition: bronchitis
yello: tram lines. pink: donuts
describe the normal and abnormal appearances of the the interstitial pattern on a radiograph
interstitium: tissue that surrounds the alveoli and vessels (thin, one cell layer thick)
Normal:
cant see on a radiograph (too small)
Abnormal: if you can see the interstitium on a radiograph –> indicates haemorrhage or nodules. see nodules or unstructured where there is diffuse change (fog)
describe the normal and abnormal appearances of the alveoli on radiographs
Normal: alveoli filled with air (gas opacity)
Abnormal: fluid in alveoli or collapsed but air still in bronchi. see soft tissue/fluid opacity, air in bronchi because the bronchi are currently fine. may be focal or diffues. unknwon what kind of fluid. cannot see any soft tissues - border obliteration/AIR BRONCHOGRAMS
image on left is NORMAl cranioventral lung field
describe the normal and abnormal appearance of vessels on radiographs
Normal: can see pulmonary vessels. vessels are normal to see
abnormal: vessels are bigger OR smaller
remember that veins are CENTRAl and CRANIAL
the cranial lobal artery and vein should be approx same diameter as proximal third othe the 4th rib
if enlarged: fluid overload = left to right shunt
if small: too little circulation (hypervolaemia or right to left shunt)
how can you tell the difference between a vein and an artery on a radiograph
veins are ventral and central to the artery
describe normal vs abnormal appearance of the pleura
Normal: pleura surrounsd the lungs but cannot be appreciated on a normal rad. the lungs occupy the entire space and we can see the vessels all the way to the periphery
Abnormal: lungs pulled back from the edge due to contents (air/fluid/mass) in the pleura. cant see any vessels, heart sometimes seen levetating off sternum. slight increased opacity to lungs as theyre being squished but pleura or cant see cardiac silhouette at all due to fluid in pleural space blocking it out
indicate where the cranial and caudal mediastium are on this image
blue = cranial
pink = caudal
