Review areas on chest radiograph

Review areas on a chest radiograph are common areas for missed findings, and special attention should be paid to them:

1. lung apices: masses (e.g. Pancoast tumor), pneumothorax
2. behind the heart: consolidation, masses, hiatus hernia ²
3. below the diaphragm: free gas, lines and tubes (e.g. nasogastric tube), gastric distension, bowel obstruction
4. bones and soft tissues: fractures, masses, mastectomy, subcutaneous emphysema, evidence of previous surgery (e.g. axillary clips)

These first four are the classic review areas ^ref, sometimes the pulmonary hilum is included as an additional fifth region:

• pulmonary hilum: mass, lymphadenopathy, vessel enlargement