This two-panel memory image contrasts a key radiographic sign with a visual metaphor. The top panel displays a supine portable AP chest X-ray) showing a diffuse, hazy increase in density across the left hemithorax. This “veiling opacity” obscures the normal pulmonary markings and diaphragmatic contour. The lower panel provides a visual mnemonic, depicting a bride. On the left side she is unveiled and showing and on the right side her face is obscured by a veil, evoking a solemn, spiritual, and pensive mood.
The “veiling opacity” on the CXR is a classic sign of a pleural effusion on a supine film, where gravity causes fluid to layer posteriorly. The memory image links this radiographic sign to its name; just as the bride’s veil obscures her features, the layered pleural fluid “veils” the underlying lung. A diffuse “veiling opacity” on a supine CXR is a key indicator of a posteriorly layered pleural effusion. Ashley Davidoff MD, AI-assisted — Memory Image – TheCommonVein.com (30689.02cLMAD.veiling opacity)
Lyrics
“Opacity (The Veiling One)”
(Verse 1) I am the sign of the patient supine, A subtle, insidious, hazy line. I am not sharp, I am not dense, I am a shadow of suspense. I am the fluid, the watery tide, That gravity has swept aside.
(Chorus) Oh, I’m the Veiling Opacity! A hazy, supine mystery. I am the sign the lung is wet, A pleural effusion, you can bet. A simple finding, often missed, I’m “The Veiling One” on the list.
(Verse 2) I do not form a meniscus high, Against the angled, upright sky. No, I have layered, posterior, deep, A hidden promise that I keep. I am the Veil, a misty sheet, That makes the lung seem incomplete.
(Chorus) Oh, I’m the Veiling Opacity! A hazy, supine mystery. I am the sign the lung is wet, A pleural effusion, you can bet. A simple finding, often missed, I’m “The Veiling One” on the list.
(Bridge) I dull the diaphragm’s sharp dome, I obscure the vessels’ home. I am the gray, the hazy hue, That X-rays have to travel through.
(Outro) I am the Veil… the supine clue. The Veiling Opacity… I’m the supine clue.
Poem
“Opacity – The Veiling One”
I am the sign of the patient supine,
A subtle, insidious, hazy line.
I am not sharp,
I am not dense,
I am a shadow of suspense.
I am the fluid, the watery tide,
That gravity has swept aside.
It does not form a meniscus high,
Against the angled, upright sky.
No, it has layered, posterior, deep,
A hidden promise that it keeps.
I am the Veil, a misty sheet,
That makes the lung seem incomplete.
I dull the diaphragm’s sharp dome,
I obscure the vessels’ home.
I am the gray, the hazy hue,
That X-rays have to travel through.
I am the sign the lung is wet,
A pleural effusion, you can bet.
A simple finding, often missed,
A “veiling opacity,” on the list.
I am the veil… the supine clue.