1. Understanding COPD Slideshow
2. COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) Quiz
3. Energy Foods for COPD Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH

Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH

Dr. Nabili received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), majoring in chemistry and biochemistry. He then completed his graduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His graduate training included a specialized fellowship in public health where his research focused on environmental health and health-care delivery and management.

View Full Profile

Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

View Full Profile

Many abnormalities can be detected on a chest X-ray test. Common abnormalities seen on a chest X-ray test include:

• pneumonia (abnormally white or hazy shadow on the lung fields that would normally look dark);
  
  
• abscess in the lung (lung abscess);
  
  
• fluid collection between the lung and the chest wall appearing whiter than the lungs and making the sharp lung borders on the film more hazy (pleural effusion);
  
  
• pulmonary edema (fluid build-up in the lung or its blood vessels) seen as diffuse haziness on the lung fields (for example, from congestive heart failure);
  
  
• enlarged heart size (or cardiomegaly);
  
  
• broken ribs or arm bones (irregularity in the structure and shape of any of the ribs or the humerus bone of the arm);
  
  
• broken vertebrae or vertebral fractures;
  
  
• dislocated shoulders;
  
  
• lung cancer or other lung masses (irregular and abnormal shadow on the lung fields);
  
  
• cavities in the lungs or cavitary lung lesions (tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, etc.);
  
  
• abnormal presence of air between the chest wall and the lung creating a distinct black shadow (darker than the lung fields) between the border of the lung tissue and the inside border of the chest wall (pneumothorax);
  
  
• hiatal hernia (protrusion of the upper portion of the stomach into the chest cavity); and
  
  
• aortic aneurysm (dilated aorta - a widening of the midline of the chest overlying the vertebral column).

These are some of the common abnormal findings that can be seen on chest X-ray test. There are many other less common abnormalities that can be detected on chest X-ray tests.

Must Read Articles Related to Chest X-Ray

Anthrax Anthrax is described in the early literature of the Greeks, Romans, and Hindus. The fifth plague, described in the book of Genesis, may be among the earliest de...learn more >>

Asthma Asthma is a disease that affects the breathing passages of the lungs (bronchioles). Asthma may be caused by genes and environmental factors. Asthma causes wheez...learn more >>

Asthma FAQs Asthma is a disease that affects the breathing passages, or airways, of the lungs. Asthma is a chronic (ongoing, long-term) inflammatory disease that causes dif...learn more >>

See the Entire Chest X-Ray Topic Guide »