07-27-2008, 11:39 PM
A 50-year-old man presents with shortness of breath. The patient has a history of cigarette smoking, but has been otherwise healthy. He is afebrile. On examination, he has absent breath sounds halfway up on the right side of the lung fields, with decreased resonance and tactile fremitus. A chest x-ray film shows that the trachea is deviated to the right. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?
A. Bronchial obstruction
B. Pleural effusion
C. Pneumococcal pneumonia
D. Pneumothorax
E. Viral pneumonia
A. Bronchial obstruction
B. Pleural effusion
C. Pneumococcal pneumonia
D. Pneumothorax
E. Viral pneumonia