Chest and cardiac imaging: re-expansion pulmonary oedema: practice question

A Radiology question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Radiology · Chest and cardiac imaging: re-expansion pulmonary oedema

Sample item

A 28-year-old man has a chest tube placed for a large pneumothorax of one week's duration. Within an hour of drainage he develops cough with frothy sputum, and a radiograph shows new airspace opacity confined to the lung on the drained side. What is the diagnosis?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. Re-expansion pulmonary oedema

Rapid expansion of a lung collapsed for days causes unilateral pulmonary oedema through increased capillary permeability, appearing within hours. Tension pneumothorax would show a hyperlucent hemithorax with shift, aspiration pneumonia is dependent and bilateral or focal, and contusion needs trauma.

Option by option

  • A. Re-expansion pulmonary oedema (correct)

    Correct. Unilateral oedema after drainage of a long-standing collapse is re-expansion oedema.

  • B. Aspiration pneumonia

    Aspiration pneumonia follows a witnessed aspiration and affects dependent segments.

  • C. Recurrent tension pneumothorax

    Tension pneumothorax shows hyperlucency and mediastinal shift away, not opacity.

  • D. Pulmonary contusion

    Contusion follows chest trauma and appears at the site of impact.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More Radiology questions

Questions about this Radiology question

What is the answer to this Radiology question?

The best answer is A, Re-expansion pulmonary oedema. Rapid expansion of a lung collapsed for days causes unilateral pulmonary oedema through increased capillary permeability, appearing within hours.

Why is "Aspiration pneumonia" not the answer?

Aspiration pneumonia follows a witnessed aspiration and affects dependent segments.

Why is "Recurrent tension pneumothorax" not the answer?

Tension pneumothorax shows hyperlucency and mediastinal shift away, not opacity.

Why is "Pulmonary contusion" not the answer?

Contusion follows chest trauma and appears at the site of impact.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Chest and cardiac imaging: re-expansion pulmonary oedema in Radiology. Tension pneumothorax would show a hyperlucent hemithorax with shift, aspiration pneumonia is dependent and bilateral or focal, and contusion needs trauma.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Chest and cardiac imaging: re-expansion pulmonary oedema?

Learn signs with the image, and the disease they point to. Then use the flashcards and the other Radiology questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.