Asbestos related lung changes

Asbestos-related disease, in particular affecting the lung, comprise of a broad spectrum of entities related to the inhalational exposure to asbestos fibers. They can be divided into benign and malignant processes .

Benign pleural and parenchymal lung disease

• asbestos-related benign pleural disease
  • benign asbestos-induced pleural effusions: benign exudative ~20 %
  • pleural plaques
    • almost always involve parietal pleura
    • visceral pleura involvement usually in the lower and lateral aspect
    • may be calcified, non-calcified or mixed
    • tend to spare the apices and costophrenic angles
  • diffuse pleural thickening: ~15 %
• round atelectasis (asbestos pseudotumor: Blesovsky syndrome)
• asbestosis: progressive pulmonary interstitial fibrosis

Malignant

• bronchogenic carcinoma
• mesothelioma: less common than bronchogenic carcinoma but has a higher prevalence of asbestos exposure
  • pleural mesothelioma
  • extrapleural (e.g. peritoneal) mesothelioma
• renal cell cancer 
• laryngeal cancer
• gastrointestinal tumors

Siehe auch:

• Pleuraerguss
• Lungenkarzinom
• Nierenzellkarzinom
• Pleuraplaques
• Rundatelektase
• Pleuramesotheliom
• Asbestose
• Mesotheliom
• Asbest
• diffuse Pleuraverdickung

und weiter:

• asbestos body
• asbestos related pleural disease
• ferruginous body