What fills the space after a pneumonectomy?

Question

And why is it radiopaque on Chest X-ray?

If it was vacuum, (which I presume will have very low pressure), why isn't the mediastinum be shifted as in pneumothorax?

Answer 1

When a patient has something large, like a lung, removed, the body does something called "third spacing." Basically, the body fills that space with fluid. The fluid is opaque (white) on the x-ray. Air looks black.

In the case of a pneumonectomy, the fluid is eventually replaced with fibrotic scar tissue (also opaque). Eventually the mediastinal structures (heart, aorta, etc) will shift in the direction of the missing lung. They don't shift all the way over, though. There's only so much stretch in the system.

Answer 2

If the lung was removed, they might do one of two things:
1) Fill the space with a large bag of saline water, to keep that space stable.
2) He allows the space to be filled with air, which equalizes and holds the organs in place.

Where or not it's air, depends upon if the site of the pneumonectomy shows up white or black.
Air shows up black on Xray, because the radiation has nothing to stop it.

Answer 3

Vacuum fills up. Vacuum is radio opaque.