Pleural effusions
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Pleural effusions
- This patient with left ventricular failure has developed pleural effusions
- Note that the heart is enlarged and the upper zone vessels appear prominent – if these features are absent then other causes of pleural effusions become more likely
Asymmetric pleural effusions
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Asymmetric pleural effusions
- Pleural effusions caused by heart failure may not be symmetrical
- This patient with heart failure had been nursed lying on their right side before this X-ray was taken
- Fluid has accumulated in the right pleural space – the right costophrenic angle is not visible
- No effusion is present in the left pleural space – the left costophrenic angle remains visible
- The left heart border is not distinct because there is pulmonary oedema of the adjacent lung