Pulmonary consolidation

Pulmonary consolidation

Pneumonia as seen on chest X-ray. A: Normal chest X-ray. B: Abnormal chest X-ray with consolidation from pneumonia in the right lung, middle or inferior lobe (white area, left side of image).
Classification and external resources
DiseasesDB 10949

A pulmonary consolidation is a region of (normally compressible) lung tissue that has filled with liquid,[1] a condition marked by induration[2] (swelling or hardening of normally soft tissue) of a normally aerated lung. It is considered a radiologic sign. Consolidation occurs through accumulation of inflammatory cellular exudate in the alveoli and adjoining ducts. Simply, it is defined as alveolar space that contains liquid instead of gas. The liquid can be pulmonary edema, inflammatory exudate, pus, inhaled water, or blood (from bronchial tree or hemorrhage from a pulmonary artery). It must be present to diagnose pneumonia: the signs of lobar pneumonia are characteristic and clinically referred to as consolidation.[3]

Signs

Signs that consolidation may have occurred include:

Radiology

References

  1. "Consolidation – Definition". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2009-01-16.
  2. "Induration- Definition". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2009-01-16.
  3. Metlay, JP, Kapoor, WN, Fine, MJ (1997). "Does this patient have community-acquired pneumonia? Diagnosing pneumonia by history and physical examination". JAMA: the Journal of the American Medical Association 278 (17): 1440–5. doi:10.1001/jama.278.17.1440. PMID 9356004.
  4. Talley, Nicholas Joseph (2001). Clinical Examination, a Clinical Guide to Physical Diagnosis, Wiley, 4th ed., p. 121, ISBN 0632059710.
  5. Corne, Jonathan; Carroll, Mary and Delany, David (2002). Chest X-Ray Made Easy. Churchill Livingstone. ISBN 0-443-07008-3.
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