Adhesive Atelectasis
(Verse 1 – Mechanism and Primary Sign)
This song is about Adhesive Atelectasis
Caused by a deficit in the surfactant basis
The alveolar walls stick together causing the collapse
But the airways stay open bridging the gaps
(Chorus – Distribution and Cause)
It depends on the cause where the opacities will be
Focal and subsegmental in PE
Due to local ischemia and surfactant loss
Or diffuse and patchy when ARDS is the cost
In ARDS it is gravity dependent too
And posterior zones are affected by the abnormal hue
(Verse 2 – Anatomy and Morphology)
The anatomic extent is often subsegmental
Geometric borders are not fundamental
It is often non-lobar in diffuse disease
Bronchovascular crowding is a sign of the cost
Atelectasis may manifest as linear bands or thickened wedges
And ground glass opacities reflect the half empty alveoli
(Outro)
So look for the patent airway in the gray-white
The Air Bronchogram is the guiding light
From subsegmental wedges to the ARDS haze
Adhesive collapse has distinct ways
The Dry Embrace
The lining dries, the tension grows
The tiny sacs begin to close
Without the film to keep them free
They fold in silent density
No blockage stops the flow of air
But sticky walls are waiting there
To collapse the space where breath should be
In patterns of geometry
The airway stands an open lane
Through fields of white and heavy strain
A bronchogram that marks the site
Of surfactant lost in the gray-white light
