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A pulmonary alveolus (‹The template Plural abbr is being considered for merging.› pl. alveoli; from Latin alveolus 'little cavity'), also called an air sac or air space, is one of millions of hollow, distensible cup-shaped cavities in the lungs where pulmonary gas exchange takes place. [1]
They also equalize the pressure in adjacent alveoli and, combined with increased distribution of surfactant, thus play an important role in prevention of collapse of the lung. [ 6 ] Unlike adults, in children these inter-alveolar connections are poorly developed which aids in limiting the spread of infection.
It is often called a "collapsed lung", although that term may also refer to atelectasis. [ 1 ] A primary spontaneous pneumothorax is one that occurs without an apparent cause and in the absence of significant lung disease . [ 3 ]
A lung cavity or pulmonary cavity is an abnormal, thick-walled, air-filled space within the lung. [1] Cavities in the lung can be caused by infections, cancer, autoimmune conditions, trauma, congenital defects, [2] or pulmonary embolism. [3] The most common cause of a single lung cavity is lung cancer. [4]
Chest trauma, a major cause of subcutaneous emphysema, can cause air to enter the skin of the chest wall from the neck or lung. [9] When the pleural membranes are punctured, as occurs in penetrating trauma of the chest, air may travel from the lung to the muscles and subcutaneous tissue of the chest wall. [9]
The length of tube that has side holes is the effective drainage length (EDL). In chest tubes designed for pediatric heart surgery, the EDL is shorter, generally by only having 4 side holes. [17] Channel style chest drains, also called Blake drains, are so-called silastic drains made of silicone and feature open flutes that reside inside the ...
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Pectus excavatum on PA chest radiograph with shift of heart shadow to the left and radioopacity of the right paracardiac lung field. Chest x-rays are also useful in the diagnosis. The chest x-ray in pectus excavatum can show an opacity in the right lung area that can be mistaken for an infiltrate (such as that seen with pneumonia). [20]