The Thoracic Aorta
Key Points ▪ The chest radiograph is useful to prompt consideration of aortic pathologies but is not able to reliably offer a final diagnosis for most, which is reserved for…
Pulmonary Vasculature and Pulmonary Embolism
Key Points ▪ To appreciate the abnormal patterns of pulmonary vasculature, it is important to be proficient with the details and nuances of normal pulmonary vasculature patterns. ▪ The classic…
Bioprosthetic Valves
Key Points ▪ Most bioprostheses can be identified on and localized by chest radiography. The lateral chest radiograph often assists with obviating the projection of a bioprosthesis onto the spine,…
Mechanical Prosthetic Valves
Key Points ▪ Mechanical prostheses are evident on chest radiography. Their position is readily determined. ▪ Older models of mechanical prostheses were radiographically obvious due to the greater ferrous metal…
Annuloplasty Rings
Key Points ▪ Annuloplasty rings may be inserted to support mitral or tricuspid valve repairs. ▪ The radiographic appearance of annuloplasty rings varies according to the design and includes partial…
Heart Failure
Key Points ▪ One of the great contributions of chest radiography to clinical cardiology and intensive care medicine is the assessment of left-sided heart failure, because chest radiography adds incrementally…
Prosthetic Valve Dysfunction
Key Points ▪ Bioprostheses may develop transvalvar or perivalvar insufficiency, and mechanical prostheses may develop thrombotic or pannus-mediated obstruction or paravalvar insufficiency. ▪ The consequences of valve prosthesis dysfunction may…
Localizing Prosthetic Valves
Key Points ▪ Radiographically apparent aortic, mitral, tricuspid, and pulmonic valve prostheses can all be identified and localized by chest radiography. Older mechanical and biological valves were easy to identify because…
The Lateral Chest Radiograph
Key Points ▪ The lateral chest radiograph is particularly useful for the recognition of specific chamber enlargement (other than that of the right atrium) for the recognition of the valve…
Assessment of Heart Size
Key Points ▪ The chest radiograph allows for determination of overall heart size assessment as well as of some degree of specific chamber size assessment. ▪ On the chest radiograph,…
