Journal of thoracic imaging
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Atelectasis is known to change the retractility of the involved part of the lung and the pleural pressure adjacent to it. Consequently, pleural effusions or pneumothoraxes will change their distribution and preferentially migrate toward the site of atelectasis. This alteration will often result in an atypical distribution of pleural liquid or gas. The radiological implications of this phenomenon are discussed herein.
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Tracheobronchial injuries are rare and can be life threatening. They can result from external injuries due to blunt or penetrating trauma or from internal injuries subsequent to inhalation of fumes, gases, and aspiration of liquids or foreign bodies. The most dangerous aspect of tracheal trauma is the fact that it is easily overlooked initially. Imaging studies play a pivotal role in timely diagnosis.
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Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a frequent manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and it has a close bearing on the prognosis of RA patients. Computed tomography (CT) has been shown to be excellent for the diagnosis of diffuse lung disease. In this study chest radiographs and high-resolution CT (HRCT) scans were obtained in 91 patients with RA to evaluate their ILD precisely. ⋯ HRCT was superior to chest radiographs for the detection of early interstitial changes. The histogram of HRCT values might be a useful adjunct to HRCT diagnosis by adding some degree of objectivity. HRCT is useful for the diagnosis of ILD in patients with RA.
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It is becoming increasingly clear that obstructive airway disease and early emphysema occur in some drug addicts who intravenously abuse drugs intended for oral use. We report four patients with such a history who had clinical, pathophysiologic, and radiologic evidence of severe obstructive airway disease with hyperinflation. ⋯ One patient had moderately severe emphysema at autopsy. The pathogenesis of this disease is uncertain but may involve synergism with cigarette smoke, direct toxic effects of the drug, or induced intravascular leukocyte sequestration causing proteolytic pulmonary injury.