shaggy heart sign

shaggy heart sign

A descriptive term for the “ragged” cardiac contour that may be seen on a plain chest film in whooping cough (Bordetella pertussis) during the paroxysmal stage. The shagginess is due to densities that obscure the cardiac borders, and corresponds to peribronchial thickening and infiltration of the basal triangle extending laterally from the hilum to the flattened and lowered diaphragm.

shaggy heart sign

Imaging A descriptor for the 'ragged' cardiac contour seen in a plain CXR in some Pts with whooping cough–Bordetella pertussis during the paroxysmal stage; the shagginess is due to densities that obscure the cardiac borders–and correspond to peribronchial thickening and infiltration of the basal triangle extending laterally from the hilum to the flattened and lowered diaphragm.