Abstract
Rounded atelectasis is atelectasis of the peripheral part of the lung, typically in contact with thickened pleura, featuring characteristic computed tomography findings. In this case, a 61-year-old man with history of asbestos exposure presented with a right-middle-lobe nodule on chest radiograph, with computed tomography findings suspicious for neoplasm. The patient underwent surgical resection, which revealed rounded atelectasis. Our case raises a question about the sensitivity of radiographic criteria used in identifying rounded atelectasis, and it emphasizes the need to keep rounded atelectasis in the differential diagnosis of a single pulmonary nodule in a patient with a history of asbestos exposure.
Footnotes
- Correspondence: Jean I Keddissi MD, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Oklahoma Medical Center, 920 SL Young Blvd, WP1310, Oklahoma City OK 73104. E-mail: jeankeddissi{at}ouhsc.edu.
- Copyright © 2006 by Daedalus Enterprises Inc.