Department of Radiology, Inha University College of Medicine, Korea.
Published online: January 1, 2001.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We performed this study to assess the value of ultrasonography in the differential diagnosis of lung lesion and normal thymus in children with increased upper lung opacity on chest radiographs. MATERIALS & METHODS: We analyzed ultrasonographic findings of 16 children with suspected lung lesion who had increased upper lung opacity on chest radiographs. Longitudinal and transverse paramediastinal scans of upper thorax were obtained with 7 or 7.5 MHz linear-array transduccer. Final diagnosis was obtained by follow-up chest radiographs and clinical course. RESULTS: Final diagnosis included pneumonia (n=8) and normal thymus (n=8). Ultrasonogram of lung lesion showed parenchymal hyperechoic air shadow (all cases) with ill defined (n=7, 87.5%) heterogeneously echoic triangular shaped mass(n=7, 87.5%) located lateral (n=5, 62.5%) or posterolateral (n=3, 37.5%) to the normal thymus and great vessels. Ultrasonogram of normal thymus had no internal hyperechoic air shadow (all cases) and showed well defined homogeneous mass(n=8,100%) with ovoid (n=5, 62.5%) or triangular shape (n=3, 37.5%), and located anterior (n=5, 62.5%) or anterolateral (n=3. 37.5%) to the great vessels. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography is very useful for differentiation of the lung lesion and normal thymus in children with increased upper lung opacity on chest radiographs.
Print
facebook
twitter
Linkedin
google+
Download Citation
PDF Links
Full text via DOI 
