Pulmonary fibrosis on the lateral chest radiograph: Kerley D lines revisited

The retrosternal clear space (RCS) is a lucent area on the lateral chest radiograph located directly behind the sternum. The two types of pathology classically addressed in the RCS are anterior mediastinal masses and emphysema. Diseases of the pulmonary interstitium are a third type of pathology tha...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Insights into imaging 2017-10, Vol.8 (5), p.483-489
Main Authors: Green, Daniel B., Legasto, Alan C., Drexler, Ian R., Gruden, James F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chest
D lines
Diagnostic Radiology
Emphysema
Fibrosis
Imaging
Internal Medicine
Interventional Radiology
Lung diseases, interstitial
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Multidetector computed tomography
Neuroradiology
Pathology
Pictorial Review
Pulmonary emphysema
Pulmonary fibrosis
Radiology
Sternum
Thoracic radiography
Ultrasound
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The retrosternal clear space (RCS) is a lucent area on the lateral chest radiograph located directly behind the sternum. The two types of pathology classically addressed in the RCS are anterior mediastinal masses and emphysema. Diseases of the pulmonary interstitium are a third type of pathology that can be seen in the RCS. Retrosternal reticular opacities, known as Kerley D lines, were initially described in the setting of interstitial oedema. Pulmonary fibrosis is another aetiology of Kerley D lines, which may be more easily identified in the RCS than elsewhere on the chest radiograph. Teaching points • The RCS is one of three lucent spaces on the lateral chest radiograph. • Reticular opacities in the RCS are known as Kerley D lines. • Pulmonary fibrosis can be seen in the RCS as Kerley D lines. • Kerley D lines should be further evaluated with chest CT.
ISSN:1869-4101
1869-4101
DOI:10.1007/s13244-017-0565-2