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		Pneumothorax

An abnormal chest x-ray shows the presence of an air pocket (arrows) in the pleural sac surrounding one lung, which has collapsed. Air appears dark because of the absence of lung tissue. This finding is typical of a large pneumothorax. A normal chest x-ray is shown on the right for comparison; the heart (H), lungs (L), vertebrae (v), and collarbone (C) can be seen.

(Left: AP Fishman, Fishman's Pulmonary Diseases and Disorders, 3 ed, 1998, McGraw-Hill, Fig. 91-5; right: MY Chen, Basic Radiology, 1996, McGraw-Hill, Fig. 4-1b; with permission.)