The cupola sign is seen on a supine chest or abdominal radiograph in the presence of
pneumoperitoneum.
It refers to dependent air that rises within the
abdominal cavity
The abdominal cavity is a large body cavity in humans and many other animals that contains many organs. It is a part of the abdominopelvic cavity. It is located below the thoracic cavity, and above the pelvic cavity. Its dome-shaped roof is the th ...
of the supine patient to accumulate underneath the central tendon of the
diaphragm
Diaphragm may refer to:
Anatomy
* Thoracic diaphragm, a thin sheet of muscle between the thorax and the abdomen
* Pelvic diaphragm or pelvic floor, a pelvic structure
* Urogenital diaphragm or triangular ligament, a pelvic structure
Other
* Diap ...
in the midline. It is seen as lucency overlying the lower thoracic vertebral bodies. The superior border is well defined, but the inferior margin is not.
Term
"Cupola" is an architectural term, referring to a small dome (in particular, a small dome crowning a roof or a turret). The word derives from a Latin word for a "little cup".
References
* Marshall Geoffrey B. “The Cupola Sign.” Radiology 241, no. 2 (November 1, 2006): 623–624. doi:10.1148/radiol.2412040700.
* Fleming J, Honour H, Pevsner N. The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture: Fourth Edition. Penguin Books. . Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
Radiologic signs
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