Case 3:  shortness of breath due to chylothorax

There is “white-out” of the entire left hemithorax.  No aerated lung is visible.  This is sometimes a difficult problem to sort out.  One of the main things to ask yourself is where the heart is located.  Is it PUSHED away (as in this case, shown in red) or is it PULLED toward the side of the abnormal density.  When the heart is pushed away, as in this case, you should think of things that are filling up the left hemithorax, often large pleural collections.  In this case, blood or chyle would be two likely possibilities, given the recent history of surgery.