Chest Imaging

Obstructive atelectasis

lung atelectasis or collapse resulting from a bronchial obstruction. Most common causes of obstructive atelectasis are lung cancer in adults and foreign bodies in children. The other causes include benign or malignant endobronchial neoplasms, non-neoplastic endobronchial lesions and extrinsic bronchial obstruction (bronchial stenosis). The position of an obstructing lesion can be radiographically predicted by recognizing which lobes are collapsed (lobar atelectasis). Obliteration or narrowing of the bronchial air column at the site of obstruction is often visible, particularly at CT scanning. Opaque foreign bodies (see foreign body aspiration) or calcified broncholiths (see broncholithiasis) may be directly visible. All these findings are helpful in determining the need for bronchoscopy and in directing the procedure.

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