This site is targeted at medical and radiology professionals, contains user contributed content, and material that may be confusing to a lay audience. Use of this site implies acceptance of our Terms of Use.

Acute pulmonary oedema (APO)

Case contributed by: Dr Frank Gaillard

Presentation:

Atrial fibrillation and shortness of breath.

Patient Data:

Age: 80 years
Gender: Male
From the case: Acute pulmonary oedema (APO)

Chest x-ray

Modality: X-ray

Single lead PPM in situ. The heart is enlarged and there is marked prominence of the interstitial lines. Minimal blunting of the left costophrenic angle. 

From the case: Acute pulmonary oedema (APO)

Kerley lines

Modality: Annotated image

Kerley A lines (orange arrows), Kerley B lines (blue arrows) and Kerley C lines (green arrows) are all seen, and all represent essentially the same thing; expansion of the interstitial space by fluid. 

From the case: Acute pulmonary oedema (APO)

Chest x-ray 10 days earlier

Modality: X-ray

Single lead PPM in situ. Heart is enlarged, and there is some prominence of the pulmonary vasculature, without evidence of interstitial or alveolar oedema. 

Case Discussion:

This two films demonstrate the classic appearances of acute interstitial oedema, and show how quickly this condition can develop. 

Related articles

Updating… Please wait.
Loadinganimation

 Details successfully updated.

Error Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.