Radiology of the Chest
INTRODUCTION
The chest radiograph is the most
frequently performed radi-ographic study in the United States. It should almost
always be the first radiologic study ordered for evaluation of diseases of the
thorax. The natural contrast of the aerated lungs provides a window into the
body to evaluate the patient for diseases in-volving the heart, lungs, pleurae,
tracheobronchial tree, esoph-agus, thoracic lymph nodes, thoracic skeleton,
chest wall, and upper abdomen. In both acute and chronic illnesses, the chest
radiograph allows one to detect a disease and monitor its re-sponse to therapy.
For many disease processes (eg, pneumonia and congestive heart failure) the
diagnosis can be established and the disease followed to resolution with no
further imaging studies. There are limitations to the chest radiograph, and
dis-eases may not be sufficiently advanced to be detected or maynot result in
detectable abnormalities. Other imaging methods are needed to complement the
conventional chest radiograph.
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