Hair artifact

Case contributed by Sarmad Aslam
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Shortness of breath ongoing for a month without cough/phlegm or chest pain.

Patient Data

Age: 45 years
Gender: Female

Chest

x-ray

Linear artifact over the right hemithorax from the patient's hair.

Heart size normal. Lungs clear.  

The mediastinum is normal.

Case Discussion

Normal chest x-ray with no positive finding apart from hair artifact seen on the right. It is more commonly observed in females.

A pneumomediastinum is the main differential. This is more pertinent in radiographs performed in the more acute or trauma settings.

How to use cases

You can use Radiopaedia cases in a variety of ways to help you learn and teach.

Creating your own cases is easy.

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.