Chest radiography is the primary imaging modality used in the intensive care unit (ICU), given its portability, rapid image acquisition, and immediate bedside return of information on the preview screen. Of consequence, it is of utmost importance that both radiologists…
A spectrum of cardiopulmonary diseases can be treated surgically. Surgical procedures in the thorax include lung resection, lung transplantation, cardiovascular and mediastinal surgery, as well as pleural and cavitary space reduction procedures. This chapter reviews the surgical procedures, indications, and…
Blunt thoracic trauma is a common indication for hospital admission, with the predominant cause of trauma being motor vehicle collisions. The thorax is the fourth most injured area in unrestrained passengers, but it is the most commonly injured area in…
Radiation therapy is an important modality in the management of patients with intrathoracic malignant neoplasms and primary and secondary chest wall neoplasms. Radiation therapy for these tumors usually results in radiation of the adjacent lung, and radiation-induced lung injury has…
Etiology The number of drugs recognized to cause an adverse pulmonary reaction of one kind or another is reported to be more than 600 and continues to rise yearly with the advent of new medications. Pharmacologic groups associated with pulmonary…
Aspiration refers to the misdirection of contents of the oral or upper gastrointestinal tract that have passed through the trachea and larynx and entered the lung. The diagnosis rests mostly on the history of presenting illness, medical history, vital signs,…
The most common pneumoconioses are silicosis, coal workers' pneumoconiosis, and asbestosis (see Chapters 61 and 62 ). There are numerous rare pneumoconioses related to variable occupational dust exposures. Hard metal lung disease, aluminum pneumoconiosis, talc pneumoconiosis, welders' pneumoconiosis, and chronic…
Etiology Silicosis and coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) are occupational lung diseases; silicosis is caused by continued exposure to excessive amounts of respirable silica, and CWP is caused by exposure to carbonaceous material (anthracosis). Respirable crystalline silicate and coal dust embed…
Etiology Asbestos is the general term given to a group of magnesium silicate minerals that have in common a tendency to separate into fibers. The fibers are resistant to heat and acid, thus the name asbestos, which is derived from…
Definition and Etiology Emphysema is defined as a “condition of the lung characterized by abnormal, permanent enlargement of the airspaces distal to the terminal bronchiole, accompanied by destruction of their walls.” Because emphysema decreases the elastic recoil force that drives…