Commonly Missed Findings on Chest Radiographs Causes and Consequences

Chest radiography (CXR) continues to be the most frequently performed imaging examination worldwide, yet it remains prone to frequent errors in interpretation. These pose potential adverse consequences to patients and are a leading motivation for medical malpractice law-suits. Commonly missed CXR findings and the principal causes of these errors are reviewed and illustrated. Perceptual errors are the predominant source of these missed findings. The medi-colegal implications of such errors are explained. Awareness of commonly missed CXR findings, their causes, and their consequences are important in developing approaches to reduce and mitigate these errors.

Automated summary

Chest radiography (CXR) is the most common imaging examination worldwide, but it often leads to interpretation errors. These errors can have adverse consequences for patients and result in medical malpractice law-suits. This article reviews and illustrates commonly missed CXR findings and their principal causes. Perceptual errors are the main cause of missed findings. The medi-colegal implications of these errors are explained. Understanding commonly missed CXR findings, their causes, and their consequences is crucial for developing strategies to reduce and mitigate these errors.