The Height of the Diaphragm in the Chest Radiograph of Normal Adults

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Abstract
Since in an anterior view the anterior parts of the ribs are closer to the film and therefore subject to less alteration in position through differences in centring or posture than the posterior ribs, it was thought to be worth while recording the level of the diaphragm in relation to the ribs in normal adults in a radiograph taken on deep suspended inspiration. The distance from the apex of the lung to the diaphragm was also recorded, and the level of the diaphragm and the transverse diameter of the heart were correlated with the sex of the person, their age, height and weight. The material consisted of 500 standard posteroanterior radiographs (i.e. taken at a tube-film distance of 6 ft., subject standing) of Italian applicants for migration to Australia. Those with clinical evidence of heart or lung disease, those whose radiographs showed a gross degree of kyphosis, scoliosis and thoracic deformity or any abnormal lung shadowing other than a calcified primary focus were excluded. Any showing widespread general emphysema (Simon, 1964) would also have been excluded, but in fact none was found. All the subjects were more than 21 years old and were assessed in three age groups, viz.: 21–40 years (370), 41–60 (95), over 60 (35). There were 250 males and 250 females. Apart from a minimum age of 21 years and absence of cardiac and thoracic diseases as already mentioned, they were unselected.

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