Thoracic imaging 1 Flashcards
What are some indications for thoracic imaging?
Coughing Dyspnoea Regurgitation Cardiac disease Tumour hunt Trauma Weight loss Chest wall abnormalities
Which diseases may have normal thoracic radiographs?
- Acute viral pneumonia
- Acute and chronic tracheobronchitis
- Lungworm
- Upper airway disease
What are some key radiographic technique points for the thorax
- Prevent rotation
- Wedges under sternum
- Assess costo-chondral junctions and where articulate with spine
- Keep in sternal recumbency
- Always take DV first
If using GA for thoracic radiographs what must you be aware of?
Beware of GA atelectasis – lung collapse due to the weight of the mediastinum when lying in one position for prolonger periods
How are radiographs systematically inturpreted?
- Assess radiograph overall: quality, phase of respiration, body condition
- Systematic approach: many blind spots
- Normal or abnormal?
What are the effects of recumbency?
- Different positions of diaphragmatic crura in left vs right lateral
- 2 crura of the diaphragm converge on the left lateral, whereas they stay separate on the right
- Cardiac silhouette differs
How can the phase of respiration alter a thoracic radiograph?
- Lungs larger (and less opaque) on inspiration
- Heart looks relatively smaller during inspiration
How can body condition be assessed/affect thoracic radiographs?
- Wide mediastinum because fat is store here
- Fat can be visible below the cardiac silhouette
- Increased apparent opacity of lungs in fatter animals
Describe the basic anatomy of the lungs
4 right lobes: cranial, middle, caudal, accessory
2 Left lobes: cranial (split into cranial and caudal parts) and caudal
What colour does decreased opacity appear?
Darker
What needs to be interpreted if the thoracic radiograph is abnormal?
Is it decreased or increased opacity? Determine where this change is (thoracic/anatomical compartment involved) - Pleural space/thoracic wall - Mediastinum - Lungs
What is a cause of decreased opacity in the lungs, how does this affect a thoracic radiograph?
Pleural space: pneumothorax
- Air (lucency) within pleural space
- Retraction of lungs from thoracic margins (and lung atelectasis)
- Elevation of cardiac silhouette from sternum
How do you interpret a thoracic radiograph with increased opacity?
- Rule out artefacts (poor technique, obesity)
- Increased opacity often is the abnormality
- Increased fluid/cells and/or loss of air e.g. pyothorax, pneumonia, mass
How are the thoracic boundaries assessed?
- Normal sternum and spine
- Mass, gas or thickening of soft tissues
- Assess each rib individually: normal in number, shape, opacity, size and position (equidistant)
How would a thoracic wall mass appear different to a chest wall mass on a radiograph?
- Thoracic wall masses - often associated with rib changes
* Chest wall masses - may see extrapleural sign of parietal pleura wall bulging into thorax
Describe the appearance of a pleural space effusion on a radiograph
- Border effacement heart and diaphragm
- Pleural fissures of fluid between lung lobes
- Retraction of lung margins from chest wall
- May mask underlying pathology (masses)
