What is hemithorax opacification?
Whitening out of half of the lung field on a chest X-ray is known as Opacification of a hemithorax. Complete opacification of a hemithorax indicates the presence of a significant disease, as there shall be loss of physiological functions on the involved side.
What causes opaque hemithorax?
The usual causes of opaque hemithorax include massive pleural effusion, large pulmonary mass, destroyed lung, consolidation, collapse and agenesis of lung.
What causes complete opacification?
Complete opacification on chest radiographs may be due to collapse of the lung, consolidation, massive pleural effusion, empyema, hemothorax, chylothorax, fibrothorax, and other causes.
What does opacification of lung mean?
Pulmonary opacification represents the result of a decrease in the ratio of gas to soft tissue (blood, lung parenchyma and stroma) in the lung. When reviewing an area of increased attenuation (opacification) on a chest radiograph or CT it is vital to determine where the opacification is.
What does hemithorax mean?
Medical Definition of hemithorax
: a lateral half of the thorax.
Is hemothorax life threatening?
Hemothorax is a serious condition that can be life-threatening if left untreated. Where a person has received medical attention, diagnosis and treatment outcomes are good. Without medical care, this is not always the case. Anyone who has had chest injury should get checked out for hemothorax.
How is hemothorax treatment?
The goal of treatment is to get the person stable, stop the bleeding, and remove the blood and air in the pleural space. A chest tube is inserted through the chest wall between the ribs to drain the blood and air. It is left in place and attached to suction for several days to re-expand the lung.
What does it mean to have a opacification?
Definitions of opacification. the process of becoming cloudy or opaque. type of: action, activity, natural action, natural process. a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings)
What does Hemithorax mean?
What does opacification mean in medical terms?
Medical Definition of opacify
transitive verb. : to cause (as the cornea or internal organs) to become opaque or radiopaque. intransitive verb. : to become opaque or radiopaque.
How serious is a hemothorax?
Can a hemothorax heal itself?
Hemothorax can be minor and heal without any problem. Sometimes, if the bleeding is severe and treatment is delayed, it may be life-threatening.
What is the treatment for hemothorax?
The most important treatment for hemothorax is draining the blood out of your chest cavity. Your doctor will likely put a tube through your chest muscles and tissues, through your ribs, and into your chest cavity to drain any pooled blood, fluid, or air. This is called a thoracentesis or thoracostomy.
What does opacity mean medically?
A lack of transparency
(ō-pas’i-tē) 1. A lack of transparency; an opaque or nontransparent area. 2. On a radiograph, a more transparent area is interpreted as an opacity to x-rays in the body.
What is opaque in medical terms?
[o-pāk] impervious to light rays or, by extension, to x-rays or other electromagnetic radiation; neither translucent nor transparent.
What causes opacification of sinuses?
Inflammation. Sinonasal inflammatory disease with sinus ostial obstruction is a very common cause of an opacified paranasal sinus. An air-fluid level suggests acute sinusitis; in chronic sinus disease, one may see mucosal thickening and sclerosis of the bony sinus walls. The sinus is normal in size.
What is the most common cause of hemothorax?
The most common cause of hemothorax is chest trauma. Hemothorax can also occur in people who have: A blood clotting defect. Chest (thoracic) or heart surgery.
What is opacity in simple terms?
Definition of opacity
1a : obscurity of sense : unintelligibility. b : the quality or state of being mentally obtuse : dullness. 2 : the quality or state of a body that makes it impervious to the rays of light broadly : the relative capacity of matter to obstruct the transmission of radiant energy.
What is an example of radiopaque?
The word “radiopaque” simply means that a substance is opaque, or cannot be seen through, under radiation. The most common example of something radiopaque is the human skeleton. Bones cannot be seen through under radiation, which is why x-rays are such an effective way of visualizing bones.
Is sinus opacification serious?
Isolated sphenoid sinus opacifications (ISSOs) are clinically important because they can lead to serious complications. However, some patients with ISSOs are asymptomatic, and not all patients are properly referred to the otolaryngology department.
What does opacification mean on MRI?
The MRIs included 3D T1 weighted volume data and 2D axial T2 weighted image (WI). Opacifications, indicating mucosal thickenings, polyps, retention cysts, or fluid, were recorded if measuring more than 1 mm.
What is an example of opacity?
Opacity is defined as the quality of not letting light pass through, or hard to understand. An example of something with opacity is a darkened window. An example of opacity is the Russian language. Something opaque, as a spot on the cornea or lens of an eye.
What is opacity in xray?
Terminology Pertinent to the Chest x-ray:
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Lucency | Darker area on the image as relatively more of the administered x-rays reaching the detector |
| Opacity | Whiter area on the image due to absorption of the x-rays prior to reaching the detector |
What causes radiopaque?
Radiopaque lesions of the jawbones are frequently encountered in dental radiographs. A variety of conditions such as chronic inflammation, soft tissue calcifications, fibrosseous lesions, odontogenic tumors, and bone neoplasms can manifest as radiopaque lesions on the jawbones.
What causes radiopacity?
The two main factors contributing to a material’s radiopacity are density and atomic number. Two common radiodense elements used in medical imagery are barium and iodine.