Chest X-ray: analysis

Preliminary is ABCDEF

• AP or PA
• Body position
• Confirm name
• Date
• Exposure
• Films for comparison

Analysis is ABCDEF

• Airways (hilar adenopathy or enlargement)
• Breast shadows/ Bones (rib fractures, lytic bone lesions)
• Cardiac silhoutte (cardiac enlargement)/ Costophrenic angles (pleural effusions)
• Diaphragm (evidence of free air)/ Digestive tract
• Edges (apices for fibrosis, pneumothorax, pleural thickening or plaques)/ Extrathoracic tissues
• Fields (evidence of alveolar filling)/ Failure (alveolar air space disease with prominent vascularity with or without pleural effusions)