title: Imaging of nontraumatic thoracic emergencies.
abstract: Acute chest symptoms form an important incentive for imaging in the emergency setting. This review discusses the radiologic features of various vascular and pulmonary diseases leading to acute respiratory distress and recent developments on important emergency radiologic examinations.
  
  
  
  Recently, triple-rule-out computed tomography protocol was introduced in diagnosis of chest pain, and advancing computed tomography technology and knowledge have led to discussion on treatment of pulmonary embolism. Diffuse pulmonary opacities remain a diagnostic dilemma in the emergency setting and although imaging findings can often be nonspecific, they help in guiding toward accurate diagnosis and timely management.
  
  
  
  Though promising, triple-rule-out is not yet justified because of low incidence of additional findings compared with conventional computed tomography angiography in chest pain, but it might be suited for clinical practice in the near future. Relevance of isolated subsegmental pulmonary embolism is unknown and research on this topic is needed and on its way. We provided some key findings in differentiating diffuse pulmonary opacities and describe the additional value of chest ultrasound in this clinical dilemma. A brief sidestep to pneumothorax is made, as this is also a frequent finding in the acute dyspneic patient, as well as in patients with acute chest pain.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Radiology, Meander Medical Center, Amersfoort, The Netherlands bDepartment of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lauran
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Stöger
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schaefer-Prokop
authors.forename: Bram H J
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Geurts
mesh_terms: D002637:Chest Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*; D000072226:Computed Tomography Angiography; D004630:Emergencies; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods