CTICasesLeft Upper Lobe Atelectasis from Obstructing Lung Cancer
▶ Watch on YouTube — age-restricted, cannot embed here
Imaging findings
Frontal chest radiograph shows a left hilar mass and a left perihilar opacity with preservation of a thin crescent of air outlining the aortic arch. CT of the chest confirms left upper lobe atelectasis caused by an obstructing tumor, showing that the hyper-expanded superior segment of the left lower lobe has herniated anteriorly and superiorly, creating the radiographic Luftsichel sign. There are also multiple osteolytic bone metastases with pathologic fractures.
Key takeaways
Left upper lobe collapse typically presents with the Luftsichel sign on a frontal radiograph, where the hyper-expanded superior segment of the left lower lobe ascends to outline the aortic arch. In older patients, a hilar mass causing lobar collapse should raise immediate concern for obstructing lung cancer, warranting careful search for associated metastatic disease such as bone lesions.
AI-assisted summary — may contain errors. Verify against the source video. Learn more
More from this webinar
- Left Ventricular PseudoaneurysmVascular
- Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy with Apical AneurysmCongenital
- Right Lower Lobe Lung CancerNeoplastic
- Chronic Eosinophilic PneumoniaInflammatory
- Endobronchial Typical CarcinoidNeoplastic
- Fibrotic Organizing PneumoniaILD
- Chronic Type B Aortic Dissection with False Lumen AneurysmVascular
- Alveolar Septal AmyloidosisMetabolic
See all cases from September 18, 2015 →
Related Neoplastic cases
- Lymphangitic Carcinomatosis (Esophageal Adenocarcinoma)
- Castleman's Disease, Hyaline Vascular Type, with Cystic Lung Disease
- Lymphatic Spread of Adenocarcinoma Mimicking Post-Radiation Changes
- Metachronous Endobronchial Squamous Cell Carcinoma
- Intrapulmonary Lymph Nodes Involved with Lymphoma
- Extramedullary Granulocytic Sarcoma (Leukemia Recurrence)