Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
A chest radiograph, 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.
Peribronchial cuffing, also referred to as peribronchial thickening or bronchial wall thickening, is a radiologic sign which occurs when excess fluid or mucus buildup in the small airway passages of the lung causes localized patches of atelectasis (lung collapse). [1]
The increased total lung capacity (hyperinflation) can result in the clinical feature of a barrel chest – a chest with a large front-to-back diameter that occurs in some individuals with emphysematous COPD. Hyperinflation can also be seen on a chest X-ray as a flattening of the diaphragm. [citation needed]
Typically, infections cause 75% or more of the exacerbations; bacteria can roughly be found in 25% of cases, viruses in another 25%, and both viruses and bacteria in another 25%. Airway inflammation is increased during the exacerbation resulting in increased hyperinflation, reduced expiratory air flow and decreased gas exchange. [1] [2]
A chest X-ray is not useful to establish a diagnosis of COPD but it is of use in either excluding other conditions or including comorbidities such as pulmonary fibrosis and bronchiectasis. Characteristic signs of COPD on X-ray include hyperinflation (shown by a flattened diaphragm and an increased retrosternal air space) and lung hyperlucency. [5]
Signs on x-ray that are more commonly seen than the object itself and can be indicative of foreign body aspiration include visualization of the foreign body or hyperinflation of the affected lung. [13] Other x-ray findings that can be seen with foreign body aspiration include obstructive emphysema, atelectasis, and consolidation. [8]
Dynamic hyperinflation is a phenomenon that occurs when a new breath begins before the lung has reached the static equilibrium volume. [1] In simpler terms, this means that a new breath starts before the usual amount of air has been breathed out, leading to a build-up of air in the lungs, and causing breathing in and out to take place when the lung is nearly full.
The lungs may also appear hyperinflated. [5] It is a diagnosis of exclusion as it is a benign condition that can have symptoms and signs similar to more serious syndromes, such as respiratory distress or meconium aspiration. [2] In distinction to transient tachypnea, respiratory distress syndrome is more common in premature infants.