Diagnostic Difficulties in Roentgen-Ray Examination of Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Abstract

Roentgenologists, as a result of experience, have well formed concepts of the roentgen-ray appearance of pulmonary tuberculosis in its varying types and combinations of types. These concepts include characteristics of the shadows and typical locations of the lesions, and are so accurate that the wise pathologist, at the autopsy, will use all the resources at his command before he disputes the diagnosis of the roentgenologist. Pulmonary diseases other than tuberculosis are often equally characteristic in their appearance on the roentgenogram. There are, however, many cases in nearly all diseases of the lungs in which typical roentgenographic findings are lacking and a definite diagnosis cannot be made from a single roentgenogram of the chest. Our mistakes, appreciated and corrected, teach us more than our successes, and each difficult case, finally solved, leads to a better understanding of other diagnostic problems. The more we can share our experiences, the better will be our mutual understanding, the mo...