Pleural thickening
Appearance
Pleural thickening | |
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Macroscopic appearance of a pleural plaque. | |
Specialty | Respirology |
Pleural thickening is an increase in the bulkiness of one or both of the pulmonary pleurae.
Causes
Category | Disease[1] | Features[1] |
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Infection | After empyema |
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After tuberculosis |
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Active infection with mycobacteria other than tuberculosis, or chronic pulmonary aspergillosis |
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Non-infectious inflammation | Asbestosis |
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After pleurodesis |
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After hemothorax |
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After drugs, such as methysergide or bromocriptine |
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Cancer-related | Primary cancer, mainly mesothelioma |
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Metastasis or invasion, mainly from lung cancer |
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Pleural plaques
Plaural plaques are patchy collections of hyalinized collagen in the parietal pleura.[2] They have a holly leaf appearance on X-ray.[1] They are indicators of asbestos exposure, and the most common asbestos-induced lesion.[3] They usually appear after 20 years or more of exposure and never degenerate into mesothelioma. They appear as fibrous plaques on the parietal pleura, usually on both sides, and at the posterior and inferior part of the chest wall as well as the diaphragm.[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Unless otherwise specified in boxes, reference is: Laura-Jane Smith, Jerry Brown, Jennifer Quint (2015). Eureka: Respiratory Medicine. JP Medical Ltd. ISBN 9781907816727.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Torigian, Drew A.; Lau, Charles T.; Miller, Wallace T. (2011). "Pleural Diseases": 478–485. doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-06794-2.00068-7.
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(help) - ^ Asbestos-related pleural disease. Myers R. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2012 Jul;18(4):377-81. doi: 10.1097/MCP.0b013e328354acfe.
- ^ Diagnosis and initial management of nonmalignant diseases related to asbestos. American Thoracic Society..Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2004 Sep 15;170(6):691-715