Targeted imaging questions B2/3 Flashcards
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Recall the densities on X-radiographs and their radioopacity
From black to white:
- air
- fat
- soft tissue
- bone (cortical bone is whiter)
- metal
How can you tell if a patient is rotated?
Distance between spinous processes and clavicular heads should be roughly equal
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What could an unexpected white blob indicate?
- infection
- collapsed lobe
- cancer
- rarities
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What does white-out of the hemi-thorax indicate?
Lung collapse or pneumonectomy
white out of angles indicates pleural effusion
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What are the eight mediastinal contours?
- aortic knuckle
- main pulmonary artery
- right heart border (RA)
- left heart border (LV)
- descending aorta - right hemidiaphragm
- left hemidiaphragm
- right paratracheal stripe
Identify the lobes of the lungs
- right: upper, middle, lower
- left: upper, lower
Note:LUL has ‘lingula’ – analogous with middle lobe of right lung
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What are the features that should be identified on a chest x-ray?
- Check rotation (spinous processes and clav. heads)
- Check position of heart (1/3 : 2/3) or cardiac position
- Check heart size (<50% widest diameter)
- Lungs– whiter? blacker?
- tubes (med tubes)
- Look for white blobs (Infection, cancer, other)
- Check the eight cardiomediastinal contours
NOTE:
* Abnormal lung is white on CXR (95% of the time)
* A collapsed lung causes a white hemithorax
- white lung can be infection, cancer, inflammation
* A pneumothorax is black, a bulla is black
* Medical tubes are white – follow them
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Give an example of an approach to reading CXR
Patient details, adequacy of exposure, any notable features, PLANE e.g. - ECG leads, pacemaker, foreign object
A - airways: clear? trachea midline?
B - bones - fractured?
C- cardiac shadow, enlarged? cardiomediastinal contours?
D- hemidiaphragms elevated? present? clear? costophrenic angles sharp/clear?
EF- equal fields. Any increased opacities or dark zones over lungs?
G- gastric bubble present
H- hilum? enlarged?
Describe this CXR
This is a normal CXR
Patient is de-identified.
May be slightly rotated to the right.
No foreign objects.
A- clear, trachea midline
B - bones intact
C- normal cardiothoracic ratio, all cardiomediastinal contours
D- normal elevation, both hemi-diaphragms clear, costophrenic angles clear
EF- both lungs clear, normal. Maybe some increased interstitial lung marks along right lung (lateral to hilum)
G- gastric bubbles visible
H- normal size. Not enlarged
n.b. assuming PA (unless otherwise stated)
https://radiopaedia.org/cases/normal-cxr
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Describe this CXR
This is a normal lateral CXR
Patient is de-identified.
No foreign objects.
A- not really relevant
B - bones intact
C- normal cardiothoracic ratio, all cardiomediastinal contours
D- normal elevation, both hemi-diaphragms clear, costophrenic angles clear.
EF- both lungs clear, normal. Maybe some increased interstitial lung marks along right lung (lateral to hilum)
G- gastric bubble visible
NB L and R hemidiaphragams
https://radiopaedia.org/cases/normal-lateral-chest-radiograph
Describe this CXR
This is an example of a small right apical PT.
It is seen as a region of darkness.
Tips to help to find pneumothoraces include:
- the lung edge
- you should not be able to see the lung edge
- if you can, the region peripherally is likely a pneumothorax
- absence of vessels
- the lung should have vessels running through it
- these are white branching structures on the x-ray
- if there are not vessels, there may be a pneumothorax
Pneumothorax (pl: pneumothoraces) describes gas within the pleural space. This may occur because of a number of reasons and may be spontaneous. Patients will not always be symptomatic and treatment will depend on the cause. Pneumothoraces may be small or very large. The larger the pneumothorax, the more likely it is to cause symptoms e.g. pleuritic chest pain and sudden onset dyspnoea
https://radiopaedia.org/articles/pneumothorax-summary-1
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Describe this CXR
Left pneumothorax, with partial collapse of left lung.
A collapsed lung causes a white hemithorax
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Describe this CXR
Trachea is deviated.
Whenever you see deviation of the trachea, ask yourself if it has been PUSHED or PULLED. Here the trachea has been PULLED to the left by the volume loss in the left upper lobe caused by localised lung fibrosis
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What’s going in this CXR?
- tracheal deviation
- bones intact
- cardiac shadow enlarged, several contours not clear: R and L heart border, descending aorta
- L hemidiaphragm not visible, L costophrenic angle not visible
- EF: left lung not visible (ectomy)
- G: possible gastric bubble
- H: shifted to left
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What’s going on in this CXR?
Pulmonary oedema
Three clear signs:
- kerley b (septal lines)
- increased alveolar markings: airspace shadowing/consolidation
- blunt costophrenic angles
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What’s going on with this CXR?
Pericardial effusion (mainly due to globular, enlarged cardiac shadow)
A- trachea misline
B- normal
C- enlarged
D- L hemidiaphragm missing, L costophrenic angles
EF- smaller L lung visible
G- few visible
H- L hilum difficult to see
Can be accompanied with other signs e.g. of heart failure or malignancy (visible as numerous nodules)
N.B. if one side of heart was noticeable larger e.g. extended R heart border- could describe as R heart strain
What’s going on in this CXR?
Consolidation in R upper lobe
Hilar enlargement
Primary TB