What is a pleural line?

The pleural line indicates the interface between the soft tissues (fluid-rich) of the wall and the lung tissue (gas-rich), i.e., the lung-wall interface. It shows the parietal pleura in all cases and the visceral pleura, i.e., the lung surface, only when there is no pneumothorax (nor pulmonectomy).

What do the lines of pleural reflection mark?

The lines of pleural reflection outline where parietal pleura abruptly changes direction as it passes from one wall of the pleural cavity to another. Right and left parietal pleura reflect in an asymmetric manner due to the presence of the heart.

How can you tell the difference between a collapsed lung and pneumothorax?

A collapsed lung happens when air enters the pleural space, the area between the lung and the chest wall. If it is a total collapse, it is called pneumothorax. If only part of the lung is affected, it is called atelectasis. If only a small area of the lung is affected, you may not have symptoms.

What does pneumothorax look like on a chest xray?

Finding of pneumothorax on chest radiographs may include the following: A linear shadow of visceral pleura with lack of lung markings peripheral to the shadow may be observed, indicating collapsed lung. An ipsilateral lung edge may be seen parallel to the chest wall.

What does a line on your lung mean?

Kerley lines are a sign seen on chest radiographs with interstitial pulmonary edema. They are thin linear pulmonary opacities caused by fluid or cellular infiltration into the interstitium of the lungs. They are named after Irish neurologist and radiologist Peter Kerley.

What do a lines mean on lung ultrasound?

The A-line is a horizontal artifact indicating a normal lung surface. The B-line is a kind of comet-tail artifact indicating subpleural interstitial edema. The relationship between anterior interstitial edema detected by lung ultrasound and the pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP) value was investigated.

What does pleural reflection mean?

There are a number of areas in the thorax where the parietal pleura changes direction as it passes from one surface onto another. These areas are known as pleural reflections. The sternal line of pleural reflection is a sharp turn where the costal pleura becomes the mediastinal pleura anteriorly.

Where are the lines of pleural reflection?

There are 3 lines of pleural reflection on each side of the pulmonary cavities: sternal, costal and vertebral.

How do you check for pneumothorax?

A pneumothorax is generally diagnosed using a chest X-ray. In some cases, a computerized tomography (CT) scan may be needed to provide more-detailed images. Ultrasound imaging also may be used to identify a pneumothorax.

What Colour is a pneumothorax on an xray?

visible visceral pleural edge is seen as a very thin, sharp white line.

How can you tell pneumothorax?

Pneumothorax is diagnosed by detecting a fine, sharply defined opaque line representing the displaced visceral pleura. The area on the chest wall side of the line is typically more lucent than the lung on the hilar side. The lung markings in most cases do not traverse across the line.

What is the difference between parietal and visceral?

The main difference between visceral and parietal is that visceral is one of the two layers of the serous membrane, covering the organs, whereas parietal is the second layer of the serous membrane, lining the walls of the body cavity. Therefore, the term ‘visceral’ is used to describe…

What is between the visceral and parietal layers of the pleura?

The narrow gap between the parietal and the visceral pleura is known as the pleural cavity or space. Within this space, pleural fluid forms a thin layer on the pleural membranes, preventing friction between the surfaces.

What does the visceral pleura do?

The visceral pleura is a thin layer of serous membrane tissue that adheres to the surface area of the lungs. A fluid produced by the pleural layers surrounds the lungs and covers the visceral pleura. Pleural fluid provides a cushion of lubricant for reduced respiration friction.

Is the membrane lying over the lungs is the visceral pleura?

Pulmonary pleurae . The visceral pleura is the delicate serous membrane that covers the surface of each lung (the lung parenchyma) and dips into the fissures between the lobes. The parietal pleura is the outer membrane which is attached to the inner surface of the thoracic cavity. It also separates the pleural cavity from the mediastinum.