Type:
Educational Exhibit
Keywords:
Infection, Chronic obstructive airways disease, Technical aspects, Diagnostic procedure, Nuclear medicine conventional, CT-High Resolution, Conventional radiography, Paediatric, Lung, Anatomy
Authors:
F. X. Brunie1, M. Alonso Lacabe1, M. Fajardo1, M. Diez Blanco1, M. Hernández2, P. García-Talavera San Miguel3, A. A. Montes Tome1, S. Rizzo4, C. Mostaza Sariñena1; 1Valladolid/ES, 2Valladolid, VALLADOLID/ES, 3Salamanca/ES, 447012/ES
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2018/C-2448
Background
Hyperlucent hemithorax syndrome is characterized by a loss of radiological density that may affect the thorax in a focal,
unilateral or bilateral manner.
Most of the time these findings can be visualized on a chest x-ray; however,
in some cases they may be subtle,
evidenced only through a CT scan.
Many of these entities associated with this syndrome are known,
usually observed in daily practice; however,
there are others that are more infrequent and,
therefore,
some radiologists may be less familiar with them.
The normal pulmonary radiological density depends fundamentally on the distribution of the pulmonary vasculature and the integrity of its parenchyma.
We can differentiate true hyperlucent lung from conditions that can mimic it,
such as patients with some alteration in the chest wall,
patients with marked scoliosis,
or radiographs that are rotated.
True hyperlucent lungs are associated with pathologies that directly affect the lung parenchyma,
airway,
pulmonary vasculature,
or pleural space.
In our review we have focused on focal or unilateral afectation,
including true hyperlucent lung as the conditions that can simulate it.