A 62-year-old man arrives at the emergency room with a fever, active cough, and dyspnea that has persisted for several days. His symptoms are steadily worsening. The patient has mild chronic obstructive lung disease and has been smoking a pack of cigarettes every day for the previous 40 years. On examination, the temperature is 38.3 degrees Celsius (100.9 degrees Fahrenheit), the pulse is 110 beats per minute, and the respirations are 24 /minute. Right lung auscultation indicates bronchial breath sounds and crackles. Leukocytosis is discovered in the laboratory. The x-ray of the chest is given below. The mediastinal contour obscured by the lung consolidation on this patient's chest x-ray is primarily formed by which of the following structures?

Question

A 62-year-old man arrives at the emergency room with a fever, active cough, and dyspnea that has persisted for several days. His symptoms are steadily worsening. The patient has mild chronic obstructive lung disease and has been smoking a pack of cigarettes every day for the previous 40 years. On examination, the temperature is 38.3 degrees Celsius (100.9 degrees Fahrenheit), the pulse is 110 beats per minute, and the respirations are 24 /minute. Right lung auscultation indicates bronchial breath sounds and crackles. Leukocytosis is discovered in the laboratory. The x-ray of the chest is given below.  The mediastinal contour obscured by the lung consolidation on this patient's chest x-ray is primarily formed by which of the following structures?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: The right middle lobe is visible on a posteroanterior chest x-ray, close to the right border of the heart, which is predominantly constituted by the right atrium. The x-ray silhouette of the right heart border can be obscured by consolidation in the right middle lobe.

A 62-Year-Old Man Arrives at the Emergency Room with a Fever