Learning objectives
To overview pulmonary and pleural diseases related to asbestos exposure.
To present radiologic features of benign pleural thickening,
pleural plaques,
asbestosis and mesothelioma.
Topresent case examples of TNM 8thedition staging.
Background
Asbestos is a name given for a group of six naturally occurring silicate minerals chrysotile,
amosite,
crocidolite,
tremolite,
anthophyllite,
and actinolite.
Asbestos crystals according to the form of fibers are divided into two groups:
Serpentine has curly fibers and is the most hazardous form,
as its fibets can easily reach terminal airways and alveoli.
Chrysotile is the only crystal in this group and is the most commonly used worldwide.
Amphibole is a wider group of crystals that have needle shaped fibers.
Asbestos is durable,
strong...
Imaging findings OR procedure details
Benign asbestos pleural effusion (BAPE)can be the earliest presentation of asbestos-related disease,
but latency period is variable.
The fluid is exudative in origin,
often hemorrhagic with lymphocyte dominancy and does not contain asbestos bodies.
BAPE can also coexist with other benign asbestos related diseases and is usually not related with mesothelioma formation.
Effusion can resolve without treatment,
but diffuse pleural thickening (DPT) can develop as a consequence,
especially in recurrent cases (Fig. 1).
DPT does not calcify and surrounds whole lung including apices and costophrenic...
Conclusion
Asbestos can cause wide variety of diseases including asbestosis and malignant tumors.
Knowledge of the natural history of diseases and imaging findings are important for timely diagnosis.
References
Matsuzaki H,
Maeda M,
Lee S,
Nishimura Y,
Kumagai-Takei N,
Hayashi H,
et al.
Asbestos-induced cellular and molecular alteration of immunocompetent cells and their relationship with chronic inflammation and carcinogenesis.
J Biomed Biotechnol.
2012;2012:492608.
Prazakova S,
Thomas PS,
Sandrini A,
Yates DH.
Asbestos and the lung in the 21st century: An update.
Clin Respir J.
2014;8(1):1–10.
Aida S,
Aida J,
Naoi M,
Kato M,
Tsuura Y,
Natsume I,
et al.
Measurement of telomere length in cells from pleural effusion : Asbestos exposure causes telomere shortening...
Personal Information
Laima Tamkeviciute
Department of Radiology,
Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics,
Lithuania
Department of Radiology,
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital,
United Kingdom
E-mail:
[email protected]
Augustinas Tumenas
Department of Radiology,
Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics,
Lithuania
Department of Radiology,
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital,
United Kingdom
Jurgita Zaveckiene
Department of Radiology,
Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics,
Lithuania
Monika Arzanauskaite
Department of radiology,
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital,
United Kingdom