Silhouette sign
This is a very important sign. It enables ...
2.7K
Description

Silhouette sign
This is a very important sign. It enables us to find subtle pathology and to locate it within the chest.
The loss of the normal silhouette of a structure is called the silhouette sign.
Here an example to explain the silhouette sign:
The heart is located anteriorly in the chest and it is bordered by the lingula of the left lung.
The difference in density between the heart and the air in the lung enables us to see the silhouette of the left ventricle.
When there is something in the lingula with the same 'water density' as the heart, the normal silhouette will be lost (blue arrow).
When there is a pneumonia in the left lower lobe, which is located more posteriorly in the chest, the left ventricle will still be bordered by air in the lingula and we will still see the silhouette of the heart (red arrow). #Diagnosis #Pathophys #Radiology #Silhouette #Sign #SilhouetteSign #RadiologyAssistant
Contributed by

Dr. Gerald Diaz
@GeraldMD
Board Certified Internal Medicine Hospitalist, GrepMed Editor in Chief πŸ‡΅πŸ‡­ πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ - Sign up for an account to like, bookmark and upload images to contribute to our community platform. Follow us on IG:  https://www.instagram.com/grepmed/ | Twitter: https://twitter.com/grepmeded/
Medical jobs
view all

0 Comments

Related content