Chest X-ray of a person with advanced tuberculosis: Infection in both lungs is marked by white arrow-heads, and the formation of a cavity is marked by black arrows.
Specialty
Pulmonology
Complications
Aspergilloma
Causes
Tuberculosis, Lung cancer
A lung cavity or pulmonary cavity is an abnormal, thick-walled, air-filled space within the lung.[1] Cavities in the lung can be caused by infections, cancer, autoimmune conditions, trauma, congenital defects,[2] or pulmonary embolism.[3] The most common cause of a single lung cavity is lung cancer.[4] Bacterial, mycobacterial, and fungal infections are common causes of lung cavities.[5] Globally, tuberculosis is likely the most common infectious cause of lung cavities.[6] Less commonly, parasitic infections can cause cavities.[5] Viral infections almost never cause cavities.[7] The terms cavity and cyst are frequently used interchangeably; however, a cavity is thick walled (at least 5 mm), while a cyst is thin walled (4 mm or less). The distinction is important because cystic lesions are unlikely to be cancer, while cavitary lesions are often caused by cancer.[3]
Diagnosis of a lung cavity is made with a chest X-ray or CT scan of the chest,[2] which helps to exclude mimics like lung cysts, emphysema, bullae, and cystic bronchiectasis.[5] Once an imaging diagnosis has been made, a person’s symptoms can be used to further narrow the differential diagnosis. For example, recent onset of fever and productive cough suggest an infection, while a chronic cough, fatigue, and unintentional weight loss suggest cancer or tuberculosis.[2] Symptoms of a lung cavity due to infection can include fever, chills, and cough.[5] Knowing how long someone has had symptoms for or how long a cavity has been present on imaging can also help to narrow down the diagnosis. If symptoms or imaging findings have been present for less than three months, the cause is most likely an acute infection; if they have been present for more than three months, the cause is most likely a chronic infection, cancer, or an autoimmune disease.[5]
The presence of lung cavities is associated with worse outcomes in lung cancer[7] and tuberculosis;[8] however, if a lung cancer develops cavitation after chemotherapy and radiofrequency ablation, that indicates a good response to treatment.[2]
^Bell, Daniel, Gaillard, Frank. "Pulmonary cavities". Radiopedia. Retrieved 12 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ abcdCanan A, Batra K, Saboo S, Landay M, Kandathil A (15 September 2020). "Radiological approach to cavitary lung lesions". Postgraduate Medical Journal. 97 (1150): 521–531. doi:10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-138694. PMID 32934178. S2CID 221747977.
^ abRyu J, Swensen S (June 2003). "Cystic and Cavitary Lung Diseases: Focal and Diffuse". Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 78 (6): 744–752. doi:10.4065/78.6.744. PMID 12934786.
^Cite error: The named reference Differential Diagnosis 2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abcdeGafoor K, Patel S, Girvin F, Gupta N, Naidich D, Machnicki S, Brown KK, Mehta A, Husta B, Ryu JH, Sarosi GA, Franquet T, Verschakelen J, Johkoh T, Travis W, Raoof S (June 2018). "Cavitary Lung Diseases: A Clinical-Radiologic Algorithmic Approach". Chest. 153 (6): 1443–1465. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2018.02.026. PMID 29518379.
^Cite error: The named reference Clinical Aspects of Chronic Cavities was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abCite error: The named reference Cavitary Pulmonary Disease was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference Cavitary Tuberculosis was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
A lungcavity or pulmonary cavity is an abnormal, thick-walled, air-filled space within the lung. Cavities in the lung can be caused by infections, cancer...
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tooth decay, damage to the structure of a tooth Lungcavity, an air-filled space within the lung Nasal cavity, a large, air-filled space above and behind...
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complications such as a lung abscess, a round cavity in the lung caused by the infection, or may spread to the pleural cavity.[citation needed] Poor oral...
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diaphragm contracts, expanding the chest cavity. This causes the pressure in the chest cavity to decrease, and the lungs expand to fill the space. This, in...
thoracic cavity is the space inside the chest that contains the lungs, heart, and numerous major blood vessels. On each side of the cavity, a pleural...
alveolus, "little cavity"), also known as an air sac or air space, is one of millions of hollow, distensible cup-shaped cavities in the lungs where pulmonary...
thoracic cavity. The diaphragm is the most important muscle of respiration, and separates the thoracic cavity, containing the heart and lungs, from the...
treatment of organs inside the thoracic cavity — generally treatment of conditions of the heart (heart disease), lungs (lung disease), and other pleural or mediastinal...
the thoracic cavity, and above the pelvic cavity. Its dome-shaped roof is the thoracic diaphragm, a thin sheet of muscle under the lungs, and its floor...
A focal lung pneumatosis is an enclosed pocket of air or gas in the lung and includes blebs, bullae, pulmonary cysts, and lungcavities. Blebs and bullae...
of the pulmonary artery, predominantly found adjacent to or within a lungcavity, both often arising as a complication of pulmonary tuberculosis. The...
flattens the dome, increasing the volume of the lungcavity. Air enters through the oral and nasal cavities, and travels through the larynx, trachea and...
coagulative and liquefactive necrosis.[citation needed] However, in the lung, extensive caseous necrosis with confluent cheesy tan granulomas is typical...
and computed tomography that is crescenteric and radiolucent, due to a lungcavity that is filled with air and has a round radiopaque mass. Classically...
Banana slugs have a single lung (on the right side) which opens externally via a pneumostome. The pneumostome lungcavity is heavily vascularized to allow...
pneumothorax, also known as a collapsed lung, is a collection of air outside the lung in the pleural cavity. Depending on etiology, a pneumothorax is...
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air after it has passed through the lungs (Fig. 18). Birds also do not have diaphragms or pleural cavities. Bird lungs are smaller than those in mammals...
exchange. The lungs which are located in the thoracic cavity, are protected from physical damage by the rib cage. At the base of the lungs is a sheet of...
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pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing...
(covering the lung) is made, and this marks the meeting point between the mediastinum and the pleural cavities. The root of the right lung lies behind the...
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