ABSTRACT

This patient has left lower lobe collapse. Depending on the airway obstructed, each lobe collapses in a characteristic way. This was originally described by Benjamin Felson, a professor of radiology in the United States in 1973. In the case of the left lower lobe, when there is proximal occlusion, the lobe collapses posteriorly and medially towards the spine. Lying behind the heart, it assumes a triangular shape with a straight lateral border being classically described as a ‘sail sign’ on posterior-anterior (PA) chest radiograph as shown in Figure 2.2.