A mnemonic to remember the commonest causes of cavitating lesions seen in a chest x-ray is:
- WEIRD HOLES
Mnemonic
- W: Wegener's granulomatosis (granulomatosis with polyangiitis)
- E: embolism (pulmonary, septic)
- I: infection (anaerobes, pneumocystis, TB)
- R: rheumatoid arthritis (necrobiotic nodules)
- D: developmental cysts (sequestration)
- H: histiocytosis
- O: oncological
- L: lymphangioleiomyomatosis / left atrial myxoma
- E: environmental, occupational
- S: sarcoidosis