A 37-year-old woman presents with shortness of breath on exertion. She has a past history of rheumatic fever as a child. On cardiac auscultation, there is a loud SI and a mid-to-late low- pitched diastolic murmur. You suspect she has mitral stenosis. Which of the following findings is most likely to be seen on the CXR in someone with mitral stenosis?: (A) general enlargement of the heart, (B) Kerley B lines, (C) attenuation of pulmonary arteries, (D) straightening of the left heart border
Answer is D. Other early changes in mitral stenosis include prominence of the main pulmonary arteries and backward displacement of the esophagus. CXR changes are caused by enlargement of the left atrium Severe disease can cause pulmonary congestion (Kerley B lines) and enlargement of the right ventricle, right atrium, and superior vena cava.