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  Routine Screening Radiograph
  in a 60-Year-Old Smoker

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BACKGROUND
A 60-year-old man presents to the emergency department after accidentally falling when he tripped over a sidewalk curb. On the review of systems, the patient reports occasionally having a dry cough. He states that he has had the cough "for quite some time" and attributes it to his 40-pack-year history of smoking cigarettes. On further questioning, he denies having weight loss, hemoptysis, or shortness of breath.

On physical examination, the patient is a man of moderate build, in no apparent distress. His blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate are within normal limits. He has normal breath sounds and no respiratory distress. Findings on chest, abdominal, and the rest of his physical examination are unremarkable. A chest radiograph is obtained. When the results are reviewed, a CBC and chemistry panel are ordered and deemed noncontributory. Contrast-enhanced chest CT scanning is performed.

What is the diagnosis?
Hint
The diagnosis is the most common benign tumor of the lung.
Author: Gautam Dehadrai, MD,
Staff Radiologist,
Department of Radiology,
Veterans Affairs Medical Center,
Albuquerque, NM
eMedicine Editor: Rick G. Kulkarni, MD,
Assistant Professor,
Yale School of Medicine,
Section of Emergency Medicine,
Department of Surgery,
Attending Physician,
Medical Director,
Department of Emergency Services,
Yale-New Haven Hospital, Conn


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