[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Radiology](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/) › Chest # Chest The chest X-ray step by step, its signs and findings, and chest CT. 22 pages ## Finding - [**A nodule or a mass on the chest X-ray** A round spot in the lung is called a nodule if it is 3 cm or less and a mass if it is bigger](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-nodule-or-a-mass-on-the-chest-x-ray/) - [**Cardiomegaly and pulmonary oedema on the chest X-ray** In heart failure the heart looks big and fluid backs up into the lungs](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/cardiomegaly-and-pulmonary-oedema-on-the-chest-x-ray/) - [**Cavities and air-fluid levels in the lung** A cavity is a hole with a wall inside the lung, where tissue has died and drained; it may hold…](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/cavities-and-air-fluid-levels-in-the-lung/) - [**Chest trauma imaging: ribs, contusion, haemothorax and the aorta** After a chest injury, a quick X-ray and bedside ultrasound look for problems that kill fast; a…](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/chest-trauma-imaging-ribs-contusion-haemothorax-and-the-aorta/) - [**Consolidation and air bronchograms** Consolidation means the air in part of the lung has been replaced by fluid or pus, so that part…](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/consolidation-and-air-bronchograms/) - [**CT pulmonary angiography for pulmonary embolism** A CT scan taken while contrast fills the lung arteries](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/ct-pulmonary-angiography-for-pulmonary-embolism/) - [**Free air in the chest: pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema** Air escapes into the middle of the chest or under the skin](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/free-air-in-the-chest-pneumomediastinum-and-subcutaneous-emphysema/) - [**High-resolution CT patterns: ground glass, crazy paving, tree-in-bud** High-resolution CT uses very thin slices of the lungs; a few named patterns, like hazy glass or…](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/high-resolution-ct-patterns-ground-glass-crazy-paving-tree-in-bud/) - [**Interstitial patterns: lines, nodules and honeycombing** When the lung's thin supporting tissue thickens, the X-ray shows a net of fine lines, many tiny…](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/interstitial-patterns-lines-nodules-and-honeycombing/) - [**Lobar collapse (atelectasis) on the chest X-ray** When a lobe loses its air it shrinks and turns white, and the structures around it are pulled…](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/lobar-collapse-on-the-chest-x-ray/) - [**Pleural effusion on the chest X-ray** Fluid around the lung sinks to the bottom of the chest and shows as a white area with a curved…](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/pleural-effusion-on-the-chest-x-ray/) - [**Pneumothorax on the chest X-ray** Air leaks into the space around the lung and the lung pulls away from the chest wall](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/pneumothorax-on-the-chest-x-ray/) - [**The child's chest X-ray: thymus, foreign body, croup and epiglottitis** A child's X-ray has its own normal: a big thymus near the heart](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/the-child-s-chest-x-ray-thymus-foreign-body-croup-and-epiglottitis/) - [**The white hemithorax: collapse, effusion, pneumonia or pneumonectomy** One side of the chest X-ray is completely white](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/the-white-hemithorax-collapse-effusion-pneumonia-or-pneumonectomy/) - [**The widened mediastinum and the hila** The middle of the chest X-ray holds the heart, great vessels, airway and lymph nodes; if it…](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/the-widened-mediastinum-and-the-hila/) ## Reading - [**Is this chest X-ray good enough? Projection, rotation, inspiration and exposure** Before reading a chest X-ray, check it was taken well: the right view, the patient straight, a…](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/is-this-chest-x-ray-good-enough-projection-rotation-inspiration-and-exposure/) - [**Lines and tubes on the chest X-ray: where each tip should be** After a breathing tube, feeding tube or central line goes in, an X-ray checks where its tip…](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/lines-and-tubes-on-the-chest-x-ray-where-each-tip-should-be/) - [**Reading a chest CT step by step** A chest CT is a stack of slices; reading it in the same order every time, in three windows…](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/reading-a-chest-ct-step-by-step/) - [**Reading a chest X-ray step by step** Read every chest X-ray in the same order, from the tubes to the bones, so nothing is missed even…](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/reading-a-chest-x-ray-step-by-step/) ## Modality - [**The heart on CT and MRI: coronary CT, calcium score and cardiac MRI** Heart-synchronised CT shows the coronary arteries and their calcium; cardiac MRI measures how…](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/the-heart-on-ct-and-mri-coronary-ct-calcium-score-and-cardiac-mri/) ## Sign - [**The silhouette sign: which lobe is it?** On an X-ray, two things of the same density that touch lose the edge between them](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/the-silhouette-sign-which-lobe-is-it/) ## Choosing a study - [**Which chest study to order: X-ray, CT, CT angiography or ultrasound** Most chest questions start with an X-ray](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/which-chest-study-to-order-x-ray-ct-ct-angiography-or-ultrasound/) ## A to Z - [A](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/a/) - [B](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/b/) - [C](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/c/) - [D](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/d/) - [F](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/f/) - [G](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/g/) - [H](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/h/) - [I](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/i/) - [K](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/k/) - [L](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/l/) - [M](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/m/) - [N](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/n/) - [P](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/p/) - [R](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/r/) - [S](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/s/) - [T](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/t/) - [U](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/u/) - [V](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/v/) - [W](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/a-z/w/) [← Radiology and diagnostic imaging](https://durgical.com/en/radiology/) Educational content; it does not replace a radiologist's report and is not a clinical instruction. Each study is ordered on the patient's assessment and your institution's protocols. Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/radiology/areas/chest/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/radiology/areas/chest/