A-Z Chest Radiology - GUIDE APP
Loading..
Loading...
Chest radiographs are used to diagnose many conditions involving
the chest wall including its bones and also structures contained
within the thoracic cavity including the lungs heart and great
vessels. Pneumonia and congestive heart failure are very commonly
diagnosed by chest radiograph. Chest radiographs are also used to
screen for job-related lung disease in industries such as mining
where workers are exposed to dust.
A chest radiograph colloquially called a chest X-ray (CXR) or chest film is a projection radiograph of the chest used to diagnose conditions affecting the chest its contents and nearby structures. Chest radiographs are the most common film taken in medicine.
Like all methods of radiography chest radiography employs ionizing radiation in the form of X-rays to generate images of the chest. The mean radiation dose to an adult from a chest radiograph is around 0.02 mSv (2 mrem) for a front view (PA or posteroanterior) and 0.08 mSv (8 mrem) for a side view (LL or latero-lateral). Together this corresponds to a background radiation equivalent time of about 10 days.
For some conditions of the chest radiography is good for screening but poor for diagnosis. When a condition is suspected based on chest radiography additional imaging of the chest can be obtained to definitively diagnose the condition or to provide evidence in favor of the diagnosis suggested by initial chest radiography. Unless a fractured rib is suspected of being displaced and therefore likely to cause damage to the lungs and other tissue structures x-ray of the chest is not necessary as it will not alter patient management.
The main regions where a chest X-ray may identify problems may be summarized as ABCDEF by their first letters:
- Airways including hilar adenopathy or enlargement
- Breast shadows
Bones e.g. rib fractures and lytic bone lesions
- Cardiac silhouette detecting cardiac enlargement
Costophrenic angles including pleural effusions
- Diaphragm e.g. evidence of free air indicative of perforation of an abdominal viscus
Edges e.g. apices for fibrosis pneumothorax pleural thickening or plaques
- Extrathoracic tissues
- Fields (lung parenchyma) being evidence of alveolar flooding
Failure e.g. alveolar air space disease with prominent vascularity with or without pleural effusions
A chest radiograph colloquially called a chest X-ray (CXR) or chest film is a projection radiograph of the chest used to diagnose conditions affecting the chest its contents and nearby structures. Chest radiographs are the most common film taken in medicine.
Like all methods of radiography chest radiography employs ionizing radiation in the form of X-rays to generate images of the chest. The mean radiation dose to an adult from a chest radiograph is around 0.02 mSv (2 mrem) for a front view (PA or posteroanterior) and 0.08 mSv (8 mrem) for a side view (LL or latero-lateral). Together this corresponds to a background radiation equivalent time of about 10 days.
For some conditions of the chest radiography is good for screening but poor for diagnosis. When a condition is suspected based on chest radiography additional imaging of the chest can be obtained to definitively diagnose the condition or to provide evidence in favor of the diagnosis suggested by initial chest radiography. Unless a fractured rib is suspected of being displaced and therefore likely to cause damage to the lungs and other tissue structures x-ray of the chest is not necessary as it will not alter patient management.
The main regions where a chest X-ray may identify problems may be summarized as ABCDEF by their first letters:
- Airways including hilar adenopathy or enlargement
- Breast shadows
Bones e.g. rib fractures and lytic bone lesions
- Cardiac silhouette detecting cardiac enlargement
Costophrenic angles including pleural effusions
- Diaphragm e.g. evidence of free air indicative of perforation of an abdominal viscus
Edges e.g. apices for fibrosis pneumothorax pleural thickening or plaques
- Extrathoracic tissues
- Fields (lung parenchyma) being evidence of alveolar flooding
Failure e.g. alveolar air space disease with prominent vascularity with or without pleural effusions
Show More >
