Chest X-ray
The basic principles about the chest X-ray examination.
Normal Anatomy
The pleural cavity is formed by the visceral pleura (= membrane attached to the lungs) and the parietal pleura (= membrane attached to the surrounding structures). The pleurae outline both lungs and are invisible on a normal chest x-ray (fig. 6).
The lung lobes are separated by interlobar fissures; the place where the visceral pleurae touch each other (fig. 6). The visceral pleura is very thin (< 1 mm) and is visible only when it is thickened or hit tangentially by the X-ray beam.
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Text & illustrations
drs. A. van der Plas, MSK radiologist Maastricht UMC+
Sources:
- W. R. Webb MD, C. B. Higgins. Thoracic Imaging: Pulmonary and Cardiovascular Radiology (second edition, 2011).
- L. R Goodman. Felson’s Principles of Chest Roentgenology (third edition, 2011)
- J.E.Takasugi, J.D. Godwin. Radiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Radiol Clin North Am. 1998 Jan;36
- S. Whitley et al. Clark’s Positioning in Radiography (12th Edition)
24/01/2014
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