The cross-table lateral view in neonatal pneumothorax.

The cross-table lateral view of the chest can facilitate a more realistic appreciation of a pneumothorax than the supine frontal projection alone or in combination with the vertical-beam lateral view. This view also permits an optimal evaluation of the relative position of the lung, intrapleural air, and the tip of the chest tube in the supine newborn. The presence and size of a pneumothorax can usually be determined by locating the anterior lung edge on the cross-table lateral view. The anteroinferior corner of lung often aids in locating this anterior lung edge. The other structures that simulate the anterior lung edge on the cross-table lateral view include sternal retraction, rib ends, the axillary soft-tissue density, and posterior atelectasis. Because of the cause-effect relation of pneumothorax to intracranial bleeding in the premature infant, more widespread use of this technique to detect pneumothorax is recommended.