AJR F and L Medical Products: Radiation Protection & More
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Eyler, W. R.
Right arrow Articles by Schmitt, W. G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Eyler, W. R.
Right arrow Articles by Schmitt, W. G.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Hotlight (NEW!)
Right arrow
What's Hotlight?

American Journal of Roentgenology, Vol 167, 921-926, Copyright © 1996 by American Roentgen Ray Society

ARTICLES

Rib enlargement in patients with chronic pleural disease

WR Eyler, LH Monsein, GH Beute, B Tilley, LR Schultz and WG Schmitt
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202-2689, USA.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the width of ribs in patients with chronic pleural disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: On posteroanterior radiographs, we measured the horizontal width of ribs in the midaxillary line of four groups of patients: 41 selected patients with widened ribs and chronic pleural disease (group I), 30 consecutive patients with the clinical diagnosis of tuberculosis for 5 or more years who had radiographs that showed unilateral pulmonary or pleural disease (group II), 25 consecutive patients with the clinical diagnosis of empyema who had radiographs that showed unilateral pleural and often pulmonary parenchymal disease (group III), and 60 consecutive persons who received routine preemployment examinations that revealed no pulmonary or pleural disease (control subjects). Available clinical data were reviewed. RESULTS: We found a significant difference between the size of the ribs on the side of disease and the nondiseased side for groups I and II (p = .0008 and p = .045, respectively). We found no such difference for group III or the control group. The mean absolute values of the different widths of ribs on the side of disease and the nondiseased side were greater for groups I, II, and III than the absolute values of the different widths for the right and left ribs of the control subjects (p < .05). We identified tuberculosis, nontubercular empyema, thoracic surgery, blunt trauma, and metastatic tumor as causative agents in 24 (59%) of the 41 patients in group I. CONCLUSION: Rib enlargement is occasionally displayed radiographically in cases of chronic pleural disease and is confirmed by comparison of the two sides. In our selected patients (group I) with rib enlargement, tuberculosis was the most common cause of pleural disease, but nontubercular empyema, thoracic surgery, blunt trauma, and metastatic tumor were also found. Conversely, we found no rib enlargement in association with pleural disease of short duration. We have shown that rib enlargement can indicate the chronicity of pleural disease.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 RadioGraphicsHome page
A. R. Guttentag and J. K. Salwen
Keep Your Eyes on the Ribs: The Spectrum of Normal Variants and Diseases That Involve the Ribs
RadioGraphics, September 1, 1999; 19(5): 1125 - 1142.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1996 by the American Roentgen Ray Society.