Type:
Educational Exhibit
Keywords:
Thorax, CT-High Resolution, eLearning, Cysts
Authors:
E. Eden, M. F. S. Shaukat, S. Hussain; Birmingham/UK
DOI:
10.26044/ecr2019/C-0816
Background
A pulmonary cyst is a round confined space surrounded by an easily distinct epithelial or fibrous wall typically under 1mm which usually contains air but may contain fluid 1.
It appears as a round parenchymal lucency with a well-defined border12.
Cavities are airspaces with thicker walls over 4mm.
Cystic lung diseases encompass a wide group of uncommon disorders that can be difficult to diagnose due to the large amount of diseases associated with this presentation2.
Chest radiographs (CXR) in early cystic lung disease are often normal and approximately 10-30% of abnormalities picked up are in patients with a normal chest film3.
High resolution computer tomography (HRCT) is the modality of choice and can predict correct histological diagnosis with a greater degree of confidence3.
Cystic disease has multiple causes and in some pathologies appearance on HRCT is pathognomonic of specific diseases and may be used with extra-pulmonary findings to achieve diagnosis and monitor disease1,2,3.