Hampton's hump, also called Hampton hump, is a radiologic sign which consists of a shallow wedge-shaped opacity in the periphery of the

lung The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...

with its base against the pleural surface. It is named after

Aubrey Otis Hampton Aubrey Otis Hampton (September 10, 1900 in Copeville, Texas – July 17, 1955 in Weare, New Hampshire) was an American radiologist remembered for describing Hampton's hump and Hampton's line. He graduated from Baylor College of Medicine in 1925, ...

, who first described it in 1940. Hampton's hump along with

Westermark sign In chest radiography, the Westermark sign is a sign that represents a focus of oligemia (hypovolemia) (leading to collapse of vessel) seen distal to a pulmonary embolism (PE). While the chest x-ray is normal in the majority of PE cases, the Westerm ...

may aid in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, although they are rare and their sensitivities and interoperator reliabilities are low. If the sign is present in an image, there is a high chance that the person has a pulmonary embolism, but when the sign is absent a pulmonary embolism is not ruled out.

References

{{Radiologic signs Radiologic signs