Right upper lobe collapse
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Right upper lobe collapse
- Dense shadowing at the right upper zone is due to collapse of the right upper lobe
- The horizontal fissure (white dotted line) is raised from its normal position (red line) because of volume loss of the collapsed right upper lobe
- The contour of the obstructing mass is visible and it causes the horizontal fissure to appear S-shaped
- This is the 'Golden S' sign - a sign highly predictive of lung cancer obstructing the right upper lobe bronchus
Left upper lobe collapse
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Left upper lobe collapse
- There is a veil-like appearance of the left lung
- The aortic knuckle remains well-defined due to the adjacent left lower lobe which remains full of air and interposes the collapsed upper lobe and the aortic arch
- The left heart border is obscured and the left hemidiaphragm is raised indicating lung volume loss
- These are the typical appearance of left upper lobe collapse
- A mass which is just visible at the left hilum is causing collapse of the left upper lobe
- Note: In adults a collapsed lobe should be considered due to lung cancer until proven otherwise
- For more examples of lung collapse see the 'Airways and lung collapse' gallery