Presentation
Chest discomfort for 2 weeks.
Patient Data
Age: 16
Gender: Male
From the case:
Deep sulcus sign of pneumothorax
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The frontal chest view shows a left pneumothorax. Note the deep sulcus on the left.
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The annoted image shows the visceral pleura with air under the left lung.
Case Discussion
The deep sulcus sign was originally attributed to the classic supine chest x-ray projection.
In this case the patient was mobile and the x-ray is erect. The air under the lung gives rise to the "deep sulcus". It's a handy way to catch your eye and draw attention to the subtle pneumothorax.