Lecture: Normal chest x-ray interpretation

Radiology masterclass - webpages on normal CXR interpretation

• Understand how anatomical structures appear on the chest x-ray (CXR)

ABC-H plan! think

A- airway (is the trachea straight?!)

B- breathing (collapsed lung? pneumothorax?)

C - cardiac (the heart should be 1/3rd on RHS and 2/3rds on LHS)

D - diaphragm (is there air under it?)

E - external structures (bones, chest drains, medical devices)

F - fat and tissue

G - great vessels

H - hidden areas

these are all things to look out for comparing normal to abnormal variations

• Learn how important technical factors alter the overall appearance and therefore interpretation of the CXR

penetration - describes the degree to which the x-rays have passed through the body

a patient is asked to take a deep breath in before an X-ray this allows for the thorax to fill out and expose all the necessary structures. to know if a patient has taken a deep enough breath you should be able to tell that the 6th rib goes through/pierces the diaphragm