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Pneumothorax - supine

Case contributed by Henry Knipe
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Assault.

Patient Data

Age: 60 years
Gender: Female

Chest (Supine Mobile)

x-ray

Right sided pneumothorax with pleural line seen laterally and well-defined right hemidiaphragm. Differences in opacity between the right and left hemithorax are exacerbated by grid cut-off artefact. 

Case Discussion

Supine pneumothoraces are difficult to spot with often only subtle findings (this case was proven on subsequent CT trauma series). And as always, assessment of artefact is important in reading any imaging modality. 

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