The hilum of the lung: Two classical radiological signs to decipher it.

Assessing the hilum of the lung is a common challenge in daily practice because various structures converge in this complex anatomic region. Because chest X-rays are widely available and deliver relatively low doses of radiation, they continue to be the most common imaging test, although new imaging modalities have decreased the use of chest X-rays for differentiating between true abnormalities and superimposed lung opacities. This article reviews the literature and describes the principal anatomic relations of the lung hilum through illustrative cases to enable the two most important radiologic signs to be identified: "hilum overlay" and "hilum convergence". In the initial imaging evaluation of patients with cardiothoracic disease, knowledge of these basic principles facilitates the three-dimensional location of lesions in a single-plane image, optimizing time and resources.

El hilio pulmonar, dos signos radiológicos clásicos para descifrarlo / The hilum of the lung: two classical radiological signs to decipher it

El análisis del hilio pulmonar es un reto frecuente en la práctica diaria, por tratarse de una región anatómica compleja donde confluyen varias estructuras. La radiografía de tórax, por su alta accesibilidad y baja dosis de radiación, se mantiene como la primera técnica de imagen solicitada, pese a que las nuevas modalidades han disminuido su uso en el momento de diferenciar verdaderas anormalidades de opacidades pulmonares superpuestas. Se realizó una revisión bibliográfica que ilustra mediante casos didácticos sus principales relaciones anatómicas, lo que permite identificar los signos radiológicos que revisten mayor importancia: “sobreposición hiliar” y “convergencia hiliar”. En la valoración inicial del paciente con patología cardiotorácica, tener conocimiento de estos principios básicos facilita localizar tridimensionalmente lesiones en una imagen planar, optimizando tiempo y recursos.(AU)

Assessing the hilum of the lung is a common challenge in daily practice because various structures converge in this complex anatomic region. Because chest X-rays are widely available and deliver relatively low doses of radiation, they continue to be the most common imaging test, although new imaging modalities have decreased the use of chest X-rays for differentiating between true abnormalities and superimposed lung opacities. This article reviews the literature and describes the principal anatomic relations of the lung hilum through illustrative cases to enable the two most important radiologic signs to be identified: “hilum overlay” and “hilum convergence”. In the initial imaging evaluation of patients with cardiothoracic disease, knowledge of these basic principles facilitates the three-dimensional location of lesions in a single-plane image, optimizing time and resources.(AU)

The hilum of the lung: two classical radiological signs to decipher it. / El hilio pulmonar, dos signos radiológicos clásicos para descifrarlo.

Assessing the hilum of the lung is a common challenge in daily practice because various structures converge in this complex anatomic region. Because chest X-rays are widely available and deliver relatively low doses of radiation, they continue to be the most common imaging test, although new imaging modalities have decreased the use of chest X-rays for differentiating between true abnormalities and superimposed lung opacities. This article reviews the literature and describes the principal anatomic relations of the lung hilum through illustrative cases to enable the two most important radiologic signs to be identified: "hilum overlay" and "hilum convergence". In the initial imaging evaluation of patients with cardiothoracic disease, knowledge of these basic principles facilitates the three-dimensional location of lesions in a single-plane image, optimizing time and resources.