Retrospective case series reveals a benign pulmonary spiderweb sign on CT scans after lymphangiography, highlighting the importance of avoiding misinterpretation as acute pathology.
Key Points
To describe and characterize a distinctive pulmonary CT imaging finding, designated the spiderweb sign, observed in patients following intranodal lymphangiography.
Retrospective review of patients who underwent lymphangiograms at a single tertiary care center from January 2022 to December 2025.
Identified 11 patients who had thoracic CT imaging performed within 1 week of the lymphangiography procedure.
Extracted procedural parameters to assess potential associations with the presence or absence of the spiderweb sign.
The spiderweb sign was observed in 4 of 11 patients (36.4%), characterized by hyperdense linear opacities outlining the interlobular septa, peribronchovascular interstitium, and visceral pleura.
No definitive associations were identified between specific procedural parameters and the occurrence of the imaging finding.
The postprocedural imaging findings appeared clinically benign and followed pulmonary lymphatic pathways without indicating active or developing pulmonary pathology.