Correct!
1. The chest radiograph shows left lower lobe mass-like consolidation
The frontal chest radiograph shows increased opacity in the left lower thorax, obscuring the left diaphragmatic contour, creating a somewhat mass-like appearance. A few air bronchograms are present along the cranial portion of the opacity, indicating the presence of consolidation. A left pleural effusion may be present (although not large), but no gas or air-fluid level is seen within the left pleural space to indicate hydropneumothorax. Interstitial thickening is not present. The left thoracic lesion does not significantly contact the mediastinum and therefore is not suggestive of a mediastinal mass. Furthermore, the lesion triangulates to the left lateral lower thorax using the two views of the thorax presented in Figure 1, rendering a mediastinal origin unlikely.
The cause of the left thoracic lesion was unclear. Clinical assessment of the patient did not indicate infection. Therefore, the patient subsequently underwent thoracic CT (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Representative still thoracic soft tissue (Panels A and B) and lung (Panels C and D) CT images. Click here for a movie of the thoracic soft tissue images and the lung images.
Regarding the thoracic CT, which of the following statements is most accurate?
