Naclerio V sign

The Naclerio V sign is a sign described on the plain film in patients with a pneumomediastinum occurring often secondary to an esophageal rupture.

It is seen as a V-shaped air collection. One limb of the V is produced by mediastinal gas outlining the left lower lateral mediastinal border. The other limb is produced by gas between the parietal pleura and medial left hemidiaphragm.

Although Naclerio V sign was originally described in patients with esophageal
rupture, it is not entirely specific to that condition.

History and etymology

It is named after Emil A Naclerio (1915-1985), an American thoracic surgeon, who first described it in 1957 .