Commonly Missed Findings on Chest Radiographs: Causes and Consequences.

Abstract

Chest radiography (CXR) continues to be the most frequently performed imaging examination worldwide, yet it remains prone to frequent errors in interpretation. These pose potential adverse consequences to patients and are a leading motivation for medical malpractice lawsuits. Commonly missed CXR findings and the principal causes of these errors are reviewed and illustrated. Perceptual errors are the predominant source of these missed findings. The medicolegal implications of such errors are explained. Awareness of commonly missed CXR findings, their causes, and their consequences are important in developing approaches to reduce and mitigate these errors.