Parenchymal consolidation

What it means

Consolidation refers to an exudate or other product of disease that replaces alveolar air, rendering the lung solid (as in infective pneumonia).

In radiographs and CT scans, consolidation appears as a homogeneous increase in pulmonary parenchymal attenuation that obscures the margins of vessels and airway walls (See Figure 19 of PMID:18195376). An air bronchogram may be present. The attenuation characteristics of consolidated lung are only rarely helpful in differential diagnosis (eg, decreased attenuation in lipoid pneumonia and increased in amiodarone toxicity).

Rare diseases that can present with this11

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category