Return to Search
EN
A comprehensive evaluation is performed for the diagnosis of emphysema. This evaluation includes physical examination and pulmonary function tests, as well as imaging methods such as chest X-rays and computed tomography (CT).
Chest X-rays significantly contribute to the diagnosis by revealing characteristic signs of emphysema. In patients with emphysema, lung fields appear darker due to excessive air accumulation (air trapping) and hyperinflation is observed. This condition arises because patients cannot fully exhale the air they breathe in.
X-ray images may also show a flattened diaphragm muscle due to increased air volume, widened and parallel intercostal spaces, and air entering between the lower edge of the heart and the diaphragm. In lateral X-rays, an increased retrosternal space between the sternum (breastbone) and the main artery (aorta) emerging from the heart is detected. Reduced tissue and increased aeration in the upper lung fields are also prominent findings. These radiological findings, by indicating increased aeration in the lungs, help in establishing the diagnosis of emphysema.
Computed tomography, on the other hand, shows lung tissue damage and the extent of emphysema much more detailed and clearly, thereby confirming the diagnosis and playing a critical role in assessing the severity of the disease.
How is Emphysema Diagnosed?
Chest X-rays significantly contribute to the diagnosis by revealing characteristic signs of emphysema. In patients with emphysema, lung fields appear darker due to excessive air accumulation (air trapping) and hyperinflation is observed. This condition arises because patients cannot fully exhale the air they breathe in.
X-ray images may also show a flattened diaphragm muscle due to increased air volume, widened and parallel intercostal spaces, and air entering between the lower edge of the heart and the diaphragm. In lateral X-rays, an increased retrosternal space between the sternum (breastbone) and the main artery (aorta) emerging from the heart is detected. Reduced tissue and increased aeration in the upper lung fields are also prominent findings. These radiological findings, by indicating increased aeration in the lungs, help in establishing the diagnosis of emphysema.
Computed tomography, on the other hand, shows lung tissue damage and the extent of emphysema much more detailed and clearly, thereby confirming the diagnosis and playing a critical role in assessing the severity of the disease.