CARPET is a recall aid for diseases that favour the lung apices: cystic fibrosis, ankylosing spondylitis, radiation pneumonitis, pneumoconiosis, eosinophilic pneumonia, tuberculosis and sarcoidosis. It is a wider list than the fibrosis mnemonic, because several of these cause apical consolidation, cysts or bronchiectasis rather than scarring.
C – Cystic fibrosis
A – Ankylosing spondylitis
R – Radiation pneumonitis
P – Pneumoconiosis
E – Eosinophilic pneumonia
T – Tuberculosis
S – Sarcoidosis
Looking for the fibrosis list instead? If the apices show reticulation, volume loss and traction bronchiectasis rather than consolidation or cysts, use the THE SCARS mnemonic and the full guide to apical lung fibrosis and apical scarring, which covers the CT discriminators, the apical cap and the mimics to exclude.
Watch this short video:
Check out more visual mnemonics here:
Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) Syndrome: Radiology and Tumors
Cardiophrenic Angle Lesions – Visual Mnemonics
Apical Fibrosis and Apical Scarring: Causes and Meaning
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