Case history
A 40-yr-old female was seen in the rapid-access chest clinic with a 4-month history of dry cough, mild dyspnoea and left chest discomfort, which seemed to have started during a holiday to a sunny European country. Antibiotics given by her primary care physician had not helped. The patient was an ex-smoker (10 pack-yrs, having given up 14 yrs previously). There were no significant comorbidities A chest radiograph (CXR) was performed (fig. 1).
Chest radiograph
Task 1
What does the CXR demonstrate?
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Cardiomegaly and Kerley-B lines.
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A right pleural effusion.
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A density overlying the left hilum.
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A nodule in the left upper lobe.
Answer 1
The correct answer is c).
The CXR demonstrated a density overlying the left hilum. The patient underwent a computed tomography (CT) scan, which showed a soft-tissue mass in the lower left lobe without any effusion, lymphadenopathy or other distant disease (fig. 2). A …
