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Chest X-ray Showing Mildly Enlarged Heart,apical Lordotic Recommended. What Does It Mean?
My 84 year old Dad just had a chest xray . I have been searching the internet for the diagnosis but the answers seem a bit vague. Here are the results: The heart is mildly enlarged. There is a questionable pulmonary nodule versus summation artifact overlying the right anterior first rib. Recommend apical lordotic. No acute infiltrate. Right upper lobe nodule versus artifact. Can you put this is laymans terms? Do not know if this is any help, but my Dad had lung surgery approx. 10 yrs ago for a spot they found on an xray, but everything was fine.
Wed, 13 Feb 2013
Hi friend,
Welcome to Health Care Magic
X-rays are shadows, not the substance.
The view is from one side only.
A problem/shadow from lung may be overlapped by a rib shadow. In such cases, special view (lordotic view) is taken to separate and see the particular area away from the particular rib helps.
This is a cheaper alternative to a CT scan - which will resolve the issue, in problem cases.
If the ratio of the shadow of the heart to the chest is larger than a certain value, it is called enlargement. It may or may not be true enlargement. An ECHOcardiogram can help further.
Take care
Wishing speedy recovery
God bless
Good luck
Welcome to Health Care Magic
X-rays are shadows, not the substance.
The view is from one side only.
A problem/shadow from lung may be overlapped by a rib shadow. In such cases, special view (lordotic view) is taken to separate and see the particular area away from the particular rib helps.
This is a cheaper alternative to a CT scan - which will resolve the issue, in problem cases.
If the ratio of the shadow of the heart to the chest is larger than a certain value, it is called enlargement. It may or may not be true enlargement. An ECHOcardiogram can help further.
Take care
Wishing speedy recovery
God bless
Good luck
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