Correct!
4. Tubular
The opacities in the medial left lower lobe on the chest radiograph show no evidence of internal lucency to suggest cavitation. The descriptive characteristics of consolidation on a chest radiograph- confluent or homogeneous, increased attenuation extending to the pleural surface, obscuring pulmonary vessels, associated with air bronchograms- do not accurately describe these opacities. The opacities are not nodular- they are not roughly uniformly spherical in all dimensions. The opacities do not conform to a “net-like” pattern; therefore, the term ‘reticulation” is not an apt descriptor for these findings. The opacities are, however, oblong- or tubular- in shape.
The patient underwent thoracic CT (Figure 3) for further characterization of the abnormalities seen at chest radiography.
Figure 3. Enhanced (upper left) and unenhanced (upper right) movies of thoracic CT displayed in soft tissue windows. Movie of axial thoracic CT displayed in lung windows (lower center) (requires Adobe Acrobat).
Figure 3. Static images representative of enhanced ( Panels A-D) and unenhanced (Panels E-H) thoracic CT displayed in soft tissue windows. Axial thoracic CT displayed in lung windows (Panels I-N).
Which of the following statements regarding this CT examination is most accurate?