Assessment of the Chest X-Ray Mnemonic- ABCDEFGHI
This mnemonic has been used commonly to recall the assessment pattern for chest x-rays: A – Airway B – Bones C – Cardiac D – Diaphragm E – Effusions F – Fields/Fissures G – Great Vessels H – Hila I – Impression
Pediatric Foreign Body Ingestion
History: Male child with a parent worried he swallowed a coin. This is a case of pediatric foreign body ingestion. The most common pediatric foreign body ingestion is a coin, and in this case the coin was a penny. Pennies commonly lodge within the lower cervical esophagus, at the level of the thoracic inlet, as […]
Rickets – Rachitic Rosary and Differential Diagnosis
History: pediatric patient with bowed legs. This is a classic case of Rickets, which is a metabolic bone disease caused by lack of calcium and phosphate, which is commonly due to vitamin D deficiency. This leads to softening of the bones due to failure to mineralize bone. Causes of rickets in children less than 6 […]
Bronchiectasis – Differential Diagnosis
History: 65 year old male with shortness of breath. This is the appearance of bronchiectasis. Bronchiectasis is defined as abnormal widening or dilatation of the airways. It can be diagnosed by a bronchoarterial ratio (B/A) of greater than 1.5. Other ways to diagnose bronchiectasis include lack of bronchial tapering after airway bifurcations and visualization of […]
Penetrating Chest Trauma – Knife in Chest
History: 50 year old male with self inflicted chest stab wound. Important findings to look for in the case of penetrating trauma to the chest include pneumothorax, pleural effusion (which indicates hemothorax), widened mediastinum indicating injury to the vascular pedicle, enlarged cardiac silhouette indicating hemopericardium, diaphragmatic injury, and pneumoperitoneum. Surprisingly, this patient did not have […]
Solution to Unknown Case #2 – Bronchogenic Cyst
History: 40 year old male with cough. This is a case of a bronchogenic cyst, which is a congenital lesion thought to arise from abnormal budding of the foregut during development, and it is classified as a foregut duplication cyst along with enteric and neurenteric cysts. Many bronchogenic cysts are asymptomatic and not discovered until […]
Unknown Case # 2 – Chest CT
History: 40 year old male with cough. Diagnosis? For the solution, click here.
Lung Mass – Differential Diagnosis
History: 60 year old male with cough. A lung mass is a focal opacity that measures greater than 3 cm. If it measures less than 3 cm and is the only lesion, it is classified as a solitary pulmonary nodule. Read this post for the differential diagnosis for a solitary pulmonary nodule. The differential diagnosis […]
Chest Radiograph – Tubes, Lines, and Drains
History: 65 year old male status post coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The upward pointing arrow on the patient’s right labels a Swan-Ganz catheter coursing through the right internal jugular vein and ending in the right pulmonary artery. The downward pointing arrow on the patient’s left labels a mediastinal drain. The leftward pointing arrow over the patient’s […]
Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation
History: 50 year old man with cyanosis and chest pain. This is a case of pulmonary arteriovenous malformation, which is an abnormal communication between a pulmonary artery and pulmonary vein. Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations are typically round or oval shaped, and often a feeding artery and draining vein can be visualized. The differential diagnosis for this […]