CxR Findings of a Thalassemic Patient

A 25-year-old male presented with fever for 2 weeks, which is intermittent in nature, non-productive cough for 1 week, and shortness of breath for the last 5 days. He has been a known case of thalassemia for 5 years. According to his mother's statement, he has been transfused with 85 bags of blood since. After clinical examination, we found features of consolidation and basal crepitations at the right lower zone; we have ordered a CXR. Eventually, we diagnosed the case as CAP with thalassemia.

But the interesting thing is that the chest X-ray finding of that thalassemic patient is once in a blue moon. Here in the chest X-ray, you can see the enlarged transverse process of the vertebra because of extensive extramedullary hematopoiesis. It is not an enlarged lymph node.

Diagnosis

CAP with thalassemia