ELI5 Chest CT - lung windows and bone window.

[Gastrin]

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1. Which window should I use for looking at different structures?
E.g. I understand lung window for pulmonary parenchyma.
But for vessels and mediastinal structures which window should be used.

2. I find it very difficult to find rib fractures in an axial CT (I had a pt with suspected lower rib # but the CXRs were of very poor quality to be of any help & she needed a chest CT anyway)

3. Any other practical tips for reading chest CTs e.g. things which internists are expected to understand in a chest CT.

Thanks 🙂

 

[DrBowtie]

1. Soft tissue windows
2. CXR is terrible for finding rib fx. Like 30% in one study. On CT you can see cortical step off. Just follow each rib if high suspicion. As an early learner, I find the sagittal being what I look at most for bony structures.
3. First master indications for w/wo/hi res.