Atelectasis
Atelectasis is the partial or complete collapse of a portion of the lung, so that part of the lung is no longer filled with air.
When to get help quickly: Urgent review is important if breathlessness, low oxygen, fever, or chest pain are present, or if the collapse is large and the cause is unclear.
Common symptoms
Small areas of atelectasis often cause no symptoms. Larger areas may cause breathlessness, a cough, or a feeling of not getting a full breath in.
When imaging helps
Imaging shows where the collapse is, how much of the lung is involved, and whether something inside the airway (a plug of mucus, a tumour, or an inhaled object) might be blocking it.
What radiology does
Chest X-ray usually picks up atelectasis first; CT shows it in more detail and can identify a blockage, mass, or surrounding consolidation.
What usually happens next
Treatment targets the cause — breathing exercises, treating an underlying chest infection, removing an inhaled object, or addressing a tumour blocking the airway.
Seen this on your report?
Your doctor or the radiologist who wrote it can tell you what it means for you.