A therapist is viewing a chest X-ray of a pediatric patient who recently emerged from general anesthesia after upper abdominal surgery. The right hemidiaphragm is elevated, and atelectasis is seen as a long, thick horizontal line within the right lower lobe. Which of the following terms describes this type of atelectasis?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When an X-ray beam passes through the chest, the densities of all the structures it encounters are summated. Thus a flat object such as platelike atelectasis (collapse of all or part of the lung) may add little to the opacity of the chest in one projection but may appear opaque when viewed on edge in another projection.

A Therapist Is Viewing a Chest X-Ray of a Pediatric