Presentation
Shortness of breath.
Patient Data
Age: 45 years.
Gender: Male
From the case:
Skinfold mimics pneumothorax
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Skinfold left upper chest mimics a pneumothorax (see annotated image below). Enlarged cardiac silhouette, left basilar opacity likely represents atelectasis.
From the case:
Skinfold mimics pneumothorax
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Dashed green line shows that the skinfold extends from the right medial chest to the left lateral chest wall. A pneumothorax would be restricted to the left chest internal to the ribs.
Case Discussion
This case illustrates two of the differences between a pneumothorax and a skin fold: a pneumothorax will not project from one hemithorax to the contralateral hemithorax and will not extend beyond the ribs.