What Does Consolidation Mean on a Chest X-Ray?

What it means

Healthy lungs are full of tiny air sacs, which look dark on X-ray and CT. When those air sacs fill with fluid, pus, blood or cells, that area looks whiter and more solid. This is called consolidation.

The radiologist uses this word to describe what the lung looks like, not to name the cause. Pneumonia is a common cause, but other conditions can look similar. Your doctor puts the picture together with your symptoms, an examination and other tests to work out what is going on. Reports often say which part of the lung is involved, such as the "right lower lobe", and may add a likely cause, such as "likely infective".

Consolidation is different from atelectasis, where part of the lung has partly collapsed and holds less air, and from a pleural effusion, where fluid collects in the space around the lung rather than inside the air sacs.

Where you may see it

• The 'Findings' and 'Impression' sections of chest X-ray reports
• Chest CT reports, often with the lobe or segment named
• Hospital discharge summaries after a chest infection
• Follow-up chest X-ray reports comparing with an earlier image