Right paratracheal stripe
Last revised by Daniel MacManus
on 8 Mar 2025
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Jones J, MacManus D, Campos A, et al. Right paratracheal stripe. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 21 Mar 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-14452
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rID:
14452
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Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Jeremy Jones had no recorded disclosures.
View Jeremy Jones's current disclosures
Last revised:
8 Mar 2025,
Daniel MacManus
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Daniel MacManus had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Daniel MacManus's current disclosures
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13 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
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Synonyms:
- Right paratracheal stripes
The right paratracheal stripe is a normal finding on the frontal chest x-ray and represents the right tracheal wall, adjacent pleural surfaces and any mediastinal fat between them. It is visible because of the silhouette sign created by air within the trachea medially and air within the lung laterally.
It normally measures less than 4 mm 1,2 and thickening is non-specific but may represent 3:
post esophagectomy with stomach pull through or colonic interposition (look for the feeding tube)
Recognition of any abnormality in the right paratracheal stripe is invaluable in ensuring the appropriateness in further investigation with CT 1.
Radiographic features
Plain radiograph
seen in ~90% (range 83-97%) of normal PA chest x-rays 2,3
appears as a stripe that extends from the level of the clavicles to the right tracheobronchial angle at the level of the azygos arch
is usually in continuity with the right-sided great vessels superiorly and azygos vein inferiorly
References
- 1. Gibbs J, Chandrasekhar C, Ferguson E, Oldham S. Lines and Stripes: Where Did They Go?--From Conventional Radiography to CT. Radiographics. 2007;27(1):33-48. doi:10.1148/rg.271065073 - Pubmed
- 2. Woodring, J.H. & Daniel, T.L.. (1986). Mediastinal analysis emphasizing plain radiographs and computed tomograms. Med Radiogr Photogr. 62. 1-49.
- 3. Marano R, Liguori C, Savino G, Merlino B, Natale L, Bonomo L. Cardiac Silhouette Findings and Mediastinal Lines and Stripes: Radiograph and CT Scan Correlation. Chest. 2011;139(5):1186-96. doi:10.1378/chest.10-0660 - Pubmed
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Cases:
- Malpositioned PICC line secondary to retrosternal goitre
- Right paratracheal mass
- Subclavian artery aneursym
- Oesophageal duplication cyst
- Lung cancer with paratracheal lymphadenopathy
- Thickened right paratracheal stripe - small cell lung carcinoma
- Paratracheal lymphadenopathy
- Paratracheal lymphadenopathy
- Right upper lobe segmental collapse
- Sarcoidosis
- Thoracic lymphadenopathy - breast cancer (chest x-ray)
- Sarcoidosis
- Retrosternal goitre
- Hodgkin lymphoma
- Right paratracheal adenopathy
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