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Pleural Plaque

See Also
Epidemiology
1. Occur in 50% with significant Asbestos Exposure
Definition
1. Asbestos-related collagen Plaque deposition on pleura
Pathophysiology
1. Response to Asbestos Exposure
2. Plaques form in pleura from collagen deposition
3. Plaques are benign and do not precancers
Imaging
1. Chest XRay
  1. Plaques are variably present
2. Chest CT
  1. Not indicated in most cases
  2. Test Sensitivity: 50%
Evaluation
1. Marker for Asbestos Exposure
References
1. O'Reilly (2007) Am Fam Physician 75:683
2. (2004) Am J Respir Crit Care Med 170:691

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This page was written by Scott Moses, MD. This page was last revised before 5/10/08, prior to consistent tracking of revision date. This page was last published on 3/22/2010. Please send comments and questions to the editor. Contact information may be found on the page About the Family Practice Notebook. These pages are best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0.