Nipple markers
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At the time the article was created Ian Bickle had no recorded disclosures.
View Ian Bickle's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Liz Silverstone had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Liz Silverstone's current disclosures- Nipple marker
Nipple markers can discriminate between nipple shadows and pulmonary nodules that happen to lie in a similar location and projected over the lower thorax on a chest radiograph.
One or both nipples may be visible and may be symmetrical or the left nipple may be more inferior due to normal breast asymmetry. Prior breast surgery or breast disease can also affect nipple position. A nipple shadow is typically sharply defined by air around the lateral border and less well defined medially. Nipple shadows are usually larger in females.
To exclude a pulmonary nodule a two-view radiograph with bilateral radio-opaque nipple markers can be obtained using small ball-bearings, paperclips reformed in triangle shapes around the nipples or similar markers. Both PA and AP chest radiographs are obtained. A nipple will correspond to the marker on both views whereas a lung nodule could correspond to the marker on one view but not both views.
If a lung nodule is identified, further evaluation by chest CT should be instigated.
References
- 1. Ferris RA, White AF. The round nipple shadow. Radiology. 1976;121 (2): 293-4. Radiology (citation) - Pubmed citation
- 2. Ohwada A, Sato K, Tamori Y et-al. Visible male nipple shadows in chest radiographs. Respirology. 2005;10 (1): 111-5. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1843.2005.00653.x - Pubmed citation
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