Clinical QuickiePulmonary
Atelectasis vs Infiltrate vs Consolidation
These are imaging descriptors, not interchangeable diagnoses.
Atelectasis implies volume loss
Look for displaced fissures, elevated diaphragm, crowding or other signs that lung volume is reduced.
Infiltrate is nonspecific language
It can reflect infection, edema, inflammation, hemorrhage or other opacity depending on the pattern and clinical context.
Consolidation means alveolar filling
Pneumonia is one cause, but edema, hemorrhage and other processes can also fill airspaces.
Read the x-ray with the patient
Symptoms, exam, oxygenation, trajectory and prior imaging determine whether the opacity matters and what it likely represents.
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