Consolidation (medicine)

Overview
Consolidation is a clinical term for solidification into a firm dense mass. [See corresponding lexical definition in National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus Dictionary powered by Merriam-Webster (M-W) Online.] It is usually applied to a condition marked by induration (swelling or hardening of normally soft tissue) of a normally aerated lung through accumulation of inflammatory cellular exudate in the alveoli and adjoining ducts. Consolidated tissue is radio-opaque, so that it is clearly demonstrable in X-rays and CT (computerized tomography) scans. [The clinically-oriented reader is directed to a PubMed search for scholarly reviews on pulmonary consolidation in different diseases.] Consolidation is often a middle-to-late stage feature/complication in pulmonary infections.