FINDINGS:
An oval opacity is present on the frontal film in the region of the right hilum,
and is below the hilum on the lateral view. Also on the lateral, the major fissure
is thickened just anterior to the opacity. The location is the anterior portion
of the right lower lobe.
The opacity is a mass because it is reasonably well defined and is not the shape
of any anatomic structure of the lung, such as a complete lobe or segment. The
borders of the opacity are not entirely composed of fissures or the pleura;
only the anterior border lies along a fissure.
All masses have five possible categories for causes. This mass could represent
any of the five, but the thickened fissure suggests that the mass is spreading
along the edge of the lower lobe, favoring malignancy or inflammation (especially
granulomatous).
DIAGNOSIS: Bronchogenic carcinoma,
squamous
