Which term might describe a patch of increased density in the lung on a chest radiograph?

Which term might describe a patch of increased density in the lung on a chest radiograph?

• A. Pneumothorax
• B. Infiltrate
• C. Atelectasis
• D. Edema

Answer: (B)

A patch of increased density on a chest radiograph is described as an infiltrate. Infiltrate is the general radiographic term used for an opacity within the lung parenchyma and can arise from many causes—infection, inflammation, edema, hemorrhage, or even tumors—so it fits a patchy whitening without specifying the exact disease. Pneumothorax, by contrast, is air in the pleural space and appears as a dark, radiolucent area with disruption of lung markings, not a dense opacity within the lung itself. Atelectasis can also look like increased density, but it reflects collapsed lung tissue with volume loss and often has shifts or reduced lung volume, whereas infiltrate emphasizes a parenchymal opacity rather than collapse. Edema can produce opacities too, but the broad, non-specific term that best captures a patch of increased density is infiltrate.

A patch of increased density on a chest radiograph is described as an infiltrate. Infiltrate is the general radiographic term used for an opacity within the lung parenchyma and can arise from many causes—infection, inflammation, edema, hemorrhage, or even tumors—so it fits a patchy whitening without specifying the exact disease.

Pneumothorax, by contrast, is air in the pleural space and appears as a dark, radiolucent area with disruption of lung markings, not a dense opacity within the lung itself. Atelectasis can also look like increased density, but it reflects collapsed lung tissue with volume loss and often has shifts or reduced lung volume, whereas infiltrate emphasizes a parenchymal opacity rather than collapse. Edema can produce opacities too, but the broad, non-specific term that best captures a patch of increased density is infiltrate.