"V V O I": a swift hand motion in detecting atelectasis on frontal chest radiographs.

This article introduces an easy and practical way to help detect lobar atelectasis on frontal chest radiographs. A proposed "V V O I" hand motions method is detailed in his article. This method depends on 4 simple hand motions, which could help detect 4 important direct and indirect corresponding signs of atelectasis. Our aim is to introduce the "V V O I" trick as a memory aid to facilitate detecting difficult cases of lung collapse, particular for nonradiologists and radiologists in training. The importance of using this method in conjunction with the lateral chest radiograph is emphasized. I addition, several pitfalls in using this method are also explained.