Question

A 35-year-old female patient presents to you with fever, breathlessness, and cough with expectoration. A CT scan was done which is shown below. What is the most likely diagnosis?

• A. Consolidation with air bronchogram
• B. Mediastinal mass
• C. Pleural effusion
• D. Diaphragmatic hernia

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The presented case involves a 35-year-old female with fever, breathlessness, and cough with expectoration, alongside a CT scan. The symptoms and imaging suggest a pulmonary condition. Let's explore the options:

• Consolidation with air bronchogram: Characterized by alveolar filling with fluid, blood, pus, cells, or other substances, causing opacity on imaging. Air bronchograms appear as lucent branching structures within this opacity due to air-filled bronchi passing through consolidated lung tissue.
• Mediastinal mass: Typically shows a mass in the mediastinum area, rather than affecting lung parenchyma directly. Symptoms may include cough and breathlessness but less often fever.
• Pleural effusion: Fluid accumulation in the pleural space, displayed as an opaque area on imaging lower in the lung, often causing a meniscus shape but not characteristically showing air bronchograms.
• Diaphragmatic hernia: Protrusion of abdominal contents into the thoracic cavity through a defect in the diaphragm, typically not associated with fever and expectoration.

Given the clinical presentation of fever, cough with expectoration, and breathlessness, combined with potential evidence from CT imaging (not visible here), the most likely diagnosis is Consolidation with air bronchogram. This is consistent with pneumonia or a similar condition leading to alveolar filling. The air bronchogram is a key indicator distinguishing it from other potential diagnoses.