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Left upper lobe collapse

Case contributed by Frank Gaillard
Diagnosis almost certain

Patient Data

Age: Adult
Gender: Female

Frontal chest x-ray

x-ray

Chest x-ray demonstrates volume loss and increased density of the left hemithorax. The anterior mediastinal outlines and heart border are lost. The features are those of left upper lobe collapse.

x-ray

Left upper lobe collapse is confirmed on the lateral projection. Note the anterior displacement of the oblique fissure. 

Annotated chest x-rays.

Annotated image

Frontal chest x-ray demonstrates loss of volume and loss of the normal left cardiomediastinal border (blue dashed line). On lateral projection, the oblique fissure is displaced anteriorly. 

Case Discussion

This case demonstrates most of the features of complete left upper lobe collapse. 

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