The chest wall provides support and protection to the various thoracic vascular and nonvascular structures. In addition, it allows the important physiologic motion of the lungs and airways. The chest wall is less rigid and more cartilaginous in children than…
Many systemic diseases of childhood involve the pulmonary parenchyma. The pulmonary manifestations may in fact prompt the patient or parents to seek medical attention and frequently a chest radiograph is obtained early in the illness. Therefore the radiologist can play…
The pediatric diffuse lung disorders, also known as childhood interstitial lung diseases (chILDs), comprise a rare and heterogeneous spectrum of progressive and often lethal pulmonary pathology. They are characterized by otherwise unexplained respiratory signs and symptoms, hypoxemia, and widespread pulmonary…
Pulmonary neoplasm is much less common in children than in adults. Affected children may present clinically with respiratory symptoms, or a pulmonary neoplasm may be detected incidentally on a chest radiograph in an asymptomatic child. In a recent series of…
Pneumonia and other pulmonary infections involving the lower respiratory tract continue to be the most common cause of illness in children, affecting over 150 million children under 5 years of age each year worldwide, with 20 million related US hospitalizations…
Congenital lung anomalies represent a heterogeneous group of pulmonary developmental disorders that affect the lung parenchyma, its arterial supply, venous drainage, or a combination thereof. The reported incidence of congenital lung anomalies ranges from 30 to 42 cases per 100,000…
Overview Disorders of the lower large airways occur frequently in the pediatric population and have the potential to be life threatening. Because these disorders are often associated with nonspecific clinical symptoms, the diagnosis frequently is missed or delayed, particularly in…
The upper airway, by definition, lies above the thoracic inlet. The anomalies and abnormalities involving the upper airway in children are common and varied. They include a combination of congenital and acquired morphologic, neuromuscular, bony, and cartilaginous abnormalities. The anatomic…
With the advances in ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), thoracic lesions are now commonly detected before birth. The most common congenital thoracic lesions include congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH); congenital bronchopulmonary malformations, which represent a group of lung anomalies,…
Overview The respiratory system consists of conducting and gas exchange components, with the bifurcating airways and accompanying pulmonary arteries (PAs) bringing air and blood to peripheral capillary-lined airspaces for gas exchange. In understanding and evaluating pulmonary pathologic processes, it is…