Posterior junction line
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
At the time the article was created Henry Knipe had no recorded disclosures.
View Henry Knipe's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Joshua Yap had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Joshua Yap's current disclosures- Posterior junctional line
The posterior junction (or junctional) line is formed by the apposition of the pleural surfaces of the posteromedial surfaces of the upper lobes of the lungs, posteriorly to the esophagus but anterior to the thoracic spine (usually T3-T5) 1,2. Unlike the anterior junction line, the posterior junctional line can extend well above the clavicles. It may contain intervening fat within 2.
There are many causes for an abnormal appearance of this line 1,2:
-
posterior mediastinum masses
lymphadenopathy (from a variety of causes)
neurogenic disease
aortic disease
retrosternal goiter
hyperinflation or collapse of one lung can cause lateral displacement
Radiographic features
Plain radiograph
seen in ~30% of PA chest x-rays 1,2
normally appears as a thin, vertical line projecting through the trachea that extends to the pleural dome above the clavicles to the level of the aortic arch 1
extends more superiorly than the anterior junction line 2
References
- 1. Marano R, Liguori C, Savino G et-al. Cardiac silhouette findings and mediastinal lines and stripes: radiograph and CT scan correlation. Chest. 01;139 (5): 1186-96. doi:10.1378/chest.10-0660 - Pubmed citation
- 2. Gibbs JM, Chandrasekhar CA, Ferguson EC et-al. Lines and stripes: where did they go?--From conventional radiography to CT. Radiographics. 27 (1): 33-48. doi:10.1148/rg.271065073 - Pubmed citation
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