Original MICA image-reading exercise, unscored. No clinical narrative absent from the source is added.
- Describe visible findings before proposing an interpretation.
- Suggest an interpretation and at least one image limitation.
- Which clinical findings or investigations would complement this observation?
Reveal the explained reading
Pneumothorax · radiograph
- Line
- Visceral pleural edge
- Peripheral region
- Absent vascular markings
- Projection
- Upright or supine
- Urgency
- Assess clinical stability
Morphological description
Describe side, visible extent and lung status; supine air may produce an unusually deep costophrenic sulcus.
Causes and diagnostic direction
Contexts include trauma, medical procedures or spontaneous pneumothorax with or without underlying lung disease.
Differential diagnoses
Skin folds, bullae and scapular edges may mimic a pleural line; check for markings beyond it.
Pitfalls and limitations
Supine radiography may underestimate or miss pneumothorax; mediastinal shift alone does not establish tension.
Take-home message
Identify pleural air and immediately assess its clinical consequences.
Sources
- Spontaneous Pneumothorax - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf ↗
- Tension Pneumothorax - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf ↗
Documentary review: 2026-10-15
Media source & rights
- Author
- Karthik Easvur
- Original source
- Karthik Easvur, X-ray_of_pneumothorax_signs.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; conversion WebP et réduction proportionnelle.
- Licence
- CC BY-SA 3.0
- Changes
- Full original field and annotations retained; WebP conversion, EXIF/GPS metadata removed, proportional derivatives without upscaling, cropping or medical retouching. Derivatives shared under the same CC BY-SA 3.0 licence.
- Dimensions
- 1980 × 1684 px
- Check
- 2026-10-15