Pulmonary consolidation

The term consolidation (Latin solidification, solidification ) has several meanings in medicine. Generally, however, one understands including the healing of injuries and illnesses. For example, the bone - healing and are referred to as consolidation in this context. And the non- progression of disease is referred to with the term consolidation.

Pulmonary medicine

In pulmonary medicine ( pulmonology ) is meant by consolidation accumulation of exudate, transudate or other tissue in the alveoli (alveoli ). Thus, the air is expelled from the alveoli and the actual function of gas exchange can not be fulfilled. In X-ray and computed tomography images of the lung to represent the consolidation of alveoli as electron-dense ( bright ) structures, as they are less permeable to X-rays than the normal lung tissue. Consolidations of the lung occur mainly in the context of inflammation and fibrosis, eg pneumonia and interstitial lung disease.