How do you look at chest x ray?

Avoid tunnel vision

* bones; lesions or fractures

* soft tissue ; mastectomy or soft tissue tumors

Mediastinum, heart and hila

* trachea ; position & caliber

* hila : lymphadenopathy

* mediastinum contour : ? mass

* heart : cardiac configuration

lungs

opacity

or lucency

How to read a chest x ray ?• 1- chest wall, bones and abdomen * bones; lesions or fractures * soft tissue ; mastectomy or soft tissue tumors

• 2- heart and mediastinum * trachea ; position & caliber * hila : lymphadenopathy * mediastinum contour : ? mass * heart : cardiac configuration

• 3- lungs opacity or lucency

Body habitus

Right ventricular enlargement

Left atrial enlargement in mitral stenosis

Left atrial enlargement

Lobes and Fissures

This patient has a pleural effusion

extending into the fissure. 

A AB

lateral view

? !

can detect otherwise hidden masses

Beware of tunnel vision

The lateral chest filmour best friend

• Find abnormalities on the frontal film

• Confirm abnormalities suspected from frontal film

• Don’t be afraid to look at it