Pancreatic Abscess or Walled off Necrosis
History: 48 year old man with history of ERCP 3 weeks ago for gallstone pancreatitis presents with severe abdominal pain. This is was post endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis. Note in the picture above, the patient has two calcified gallstones near the neck of the gallbladder. Recently it has been suggested that the terminology describing these cases […]
Pulmonary Hamartoma – Popcorn Calcification
History: 50 year old male with shortness of breath. This pattern of calcification is commonly referred to as “popcorn” calcification, and is typically seen with hamartomas of the lung. Hamartomas are the most common benign neoplasm in the lung, and comprise about 8% of all lung neoplasms. They are typically calcified, well circumscribed, and less […]
Paraseptal Emphysema
History: 55 year old male with history of hypertension and diabetes presents with shortness of breath. This is the typical appearance of paraseptal emphysema, which is caused by destruction of alveolar ducts and alveoli in the periphery of the secondary pulmonary lobules. When these lucencies become larger than 10 mm, they are classified as bullae. […]
Pulmonary Metastatic Disease
History: 65 year old male with a history of “abdominal” malignancy presents with chest pain and shortness of breath. This is a case of metastatic disease to the lungs (pulmonary metastatic disease). Can you determine the likely primary cancer? Take a look at the film again. See the surgical clips in the abdomen. The patient […]
Asbestos Related Pleural Disease – Pleural Plaques and The Holly Leaf Sign
History: 60 year old male with shortness of breath. Pleural plaques can be seen in numerous disease entities, and are most commonly seen in cases of prior asbestos exposure, as in this case. Other possibilities include prior empyema, hemothorax, or pleural effusion. Plaques can be mimicked by extrapleural fat. Pleural malignancies are an additional consideration, […]
Vicarious Contrast Material Excretion
History: 50 year old male with severe chest pain has incidental finding on a CT of the thorax ordered for thoracic aortic dissection. Contrast material excretion by the gallbladder is called vicarious contrast material excretion (VCME). Vicarous contrast material excretion is technically defined as any excretion of contrast material in a way other than the normal […]
Lung Bullae – Bullous emphysema.
History: 50 year old male with chest pain. A bulla is a thin-walled hole in the lung that must be larger than 10 mm. The hole contains no parenchyma, and there is a high contrast between the cavity and normal lung parenchyma. Emphysema is classified typically as either paraseptal or centrilobular (although, another type is […]
Normal Female Chest Radiograph
History: 25 year old female with no complaints.
Fetal Origin of the Posterior Cerebral Artery – My Brain MRI
History: Radiology resident being scanned for a physics lesson has an incidental finding. This is my brain MRI! The finding is called a fetal origin of the posterior cerebral artery, and it occurs when the embryonic form of the posterior cerebral artery fails to regress. It is a normal variant that occurs on either side […]
Unilateral Pleural Effusion – Differential Diagnosis
History: 70 year old male with shortness of breath and cough. The differential diagnosis for unilateral pleural effusion includes parapneumonic effusion, neoplasms such as mesothelioma, primary lung cancer, pleural metastases, lymphoma, other entities such as cirrhosis, pancreatitis, and trauma. This patient had a parapneumonic effusion.