Bat wing opacities (lungs)
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Amini B, Yap J, Bickle I, et al. Bat wing opacities (lungs). Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 13 Mar 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-972
rID:
972
Article created:
2 May 2008,
Behrang Amini
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Behrang Amini had no recorded disclosures.
View Behrang Amini's current disclosures
Last revised:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Joshua Yap had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Joshua Yap's current disclosures
Revisions:
19 times, by
13 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
Tags:
Synonyms:
- Bat wing opacity
- Bat wing pulmonary opacities
- Bat's wing opacity
- Bat's wing pulmonary opacity
- Batwing pulmonary opacities
- Butterfly opacities (lungs)
Bat wing opacities, also known as butterfly opacities, refer to a pattern of bilateral perihilar lung shadowing. It is classically described on a frontal chest radiograph but can also refer to appearances on chest CT 3,4.
Differential diagnosis
Bat wing pulmonary opacities can be caused by:
pulmonary edema (especially cardiogenic)
-
inhalation injury
noxious gas
aerosol
References
- 1. Shah PL, Hansell D, Lawson PR et-al. Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis: clinical aspects and current concepts on pathogenesis. Thorax. 2000;55 (1): 67-77. doi:10.1136/thorax.55.1.67 - Free text at pubmed - Pubmed citation
- 2. Webb WR and Higgins CB. Chapter 2. Consolidation and atelectasis. in Thoracic Imaging: Pulmonary and Cardiovascular Radiology. 2004; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
- 3. Swensen SJ, Aughenbaugh GL, Douglas WW et-al. High-resolution CT of the lungs: findings in various pulmonary diseases. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1992;158 (5): 971-9. AJR Am J Roentgenol (abstract) - Pubmed citation
- 4. Gluecker T, Capasso P, Schnyder P et-al. Clinical and radiologic features of pulmonary edema. Radiographics. 19 (6): 1507-31. Radiographics (full text) - Pubmed citation
Incoming Links
Articles:
Cases:
- Cardiogenic pulmonary edema
- Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia
- Bat wings of pulmonary oedema
- Mitral valve stenosis
- Neurogenic pulmonary oedema
- Cardiogenic pulmonary edema
- Bat wings of pulmonary oedema
- Bat wings - pulmonary oedema
- Alveolar proteinosis
- Pulmonary oedema caused by STEMI
- Non-cardiogenic pulmonary oedema
- Bat wings
- Bat's wings of pulmonary oedema
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