What is parenchymal opacification?
Parenchymal opacification on thin-section CT scans is a nonspecific finding in diseases that affect the air spaces, interstitium, or both but usually indicates potentially treatable or reversible disease.
What does opacification of the lung mean?
Pulmonary opacification represents the result of a decrease in the ratio of gas to soft tissue (blood, lung parenchyma and stroma) in the lung. When reviewing an area of increased attenuation (opacification) on a chest radiograph or CT it is vital to determine where the opacification is.
What causes opacification of lung?
The opacification is caused by fluid or solid material within the airways that causes a difference in the relative attenuation of the lung: transudate, e.g. pulmonary edema secondary to heart failure. pus, e.g. bacterial pneumonia. blood, e.g. pulmonary hemorrhage.
What are pleural opacities?
A pleural-based opacity (Figure 2) has margins that are partially or completely well circumscribed, indicating contiguity with the pleural surface and usually also presenting with obtuse pleural angles.
What does lung parenchyma mean?
The lung parenchyma is that portion of the lungs involved in gas exchange. The most prominent structure in this region is the alveolus (Figure 1). Each alveolus in the lung parenchyma opens directly into an alveolar duct or occasionally, in a limited number of species, into a respiratory bronchiole.
What causes pleural parenchymal scarring?
Pleural thickening is a disease that can be caused by asbestos exposure. Asbestos fibers cause tissue in the lungs to scar, which leads to thickening of the pleural lining. Pleural thickening is incurable but treatable. Early pleural thickening has no symptoms, however.
What causes parenchymal scarring?
Pulmonary scarring can result from lung diseases caused by a variety of occupational exposures, such as to asbestos and silica, and inflammatory or infectious lung conditions, such as tuberculosis and some other forms of pneumonia; it also occurs for unknown reasons (ie, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis).
What causes lung parenchyma?
The lung parenchyma consists of a large collection of near spherical gas exchanging units, the alveoli. The internal surface of the alveoli is lined by a layer of cells, the epithelium, which is covered by a thin liquid film.
Are lung opacities cancerous?
Yes, lung nodules can be cancerous, though most lung nodules are noncancerous (benign). Lung nodules — small masses of tissue in the lung — are quite common. They appear as round, white shadows on a chest X-ray or computerized tomography (CT) scan.
What is pleural based opacity?
What is pleural based opacity? A pleural-based opacity (Figure 2) has margins that are partially or completely well circumscribed, indicating contiguity with the pleural surface and usually also presenting with obtuse pleural angles. Considering this, what is lung opacity?
Reference article, Radiopaedia.org. (accessed on 19 Oct 2021) https://radiopaedia.org/articles/14499 Pulmonary opacification represents the result of a decrease in the ratio of gas to soft tissue (blood, lung parenchyma and stroma) in the lung.
What does pleural thickening in hemithorax mean?
Pleural thickening is a condition triggered by asbestos exposure that causes the pleural lining of the lungs, known as the pleura, to thicken with scar tissue. This scarring, also known as fibrosis, restricts lung function and may cause chest pain and difficulty breathing. Treatment involves medication to control pain and inflammation, and
Is all pleural effusion malignant?
Pleural effusion is a frequent complication of advanced malignancy with significant associated morbidity and mortality. Recent advances in the management of malignant pleural effusions (MPE) have changed the morbidity associated with this disease. Etiology