Hampton's hump on imaging represents which pathology?

• A. Pulmonary edema
• B. Pulmonary infarction
• C. Pneumothorax
• D. Atelectasis

Answer: (B)

Hampton's hump is a wedge-shaped, pleural-based opacity on chest imaging that signals a pulmonary infarction from occlusion of a branch of the pulmonary artery by a thromboembolus. The shape—a triangle with the base along the pleural surface and the apex toward the hilum—reflects ischemic, hemorrhagic necrosis of the peripheral lung tissue supplied by the blocked vessel. Pulmonary embolism is the underlying cause, making infarction the most fitting interpretation.

Other patterns fit different problems: edema usually causes diffuse interstitial or perihilar/alveolar markings rather than a distinct peripheral wedge; pneumothorax shows a visible pleural line with loss of lung markings beyond it; atelectasis tends to be linear or plate-like at the bases with volume loss. The peripheral wedge-shaped opacity is the hallmark that points toward infarction from embolism.