Faculty Collaboration Database

Pneumothorax: detection with upright versus decubitus radiography. Radiology 1993 Jan;186(1):19-22

Date

01/01/1993

Pubmed ID

8416563

DOI

10.1148/radiology.186.1.8416563

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0027459782 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   35 Citations

Abstract

To evaluate the value of decubitus chest radiography in the clinical assessment of pneumothorax, the authors compared the detectability of pneumothorax on expiratory, upright chest radiographs with that on expiratory, lateral decubitus radiographs obtained with the suspected side up. Five radiologists reviewed 19 sets of radiographs with pneumothoraces and 20 sets of radiographs without pneumothoraces. All five radiologists were more accurate and had greater confidence in the evaluation of the upright studies. A pneumothorax was detected 21% (77 versus 57 of 95) more often on the erect radiographs. In three cases, however, decubitus positioning was more definitive. These results suggest that when clinically feasible, the expiratory, upright chest radiograph is the procedure of choice for the evaluation of small pneumothoraces.

Author List

Beres RA, Goodman LR

Author

Robert A. Beres MD Associate Professor in the Radiology department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Confidence Intervals
Humans
Pneumothorax
Posture
Radiography, Thoracic
Sensitivity and Specificity