Cases

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Asbestos-related pleural plaques: The chest radiograph and CT scan demonstrate evidence of asbestos-related pleural disease that is not associated with parenchymal fibrosis or intrathoracic malignancy. Pleural plaques occur 20-30 years after an exposure to asbestos. The plaques have an irregular shape and produce smooth elevations of the pleura. Pleural plaques are present along the margins of the lungs or over the diaphragm. Calcification is common and linear. CT is more helpful for identifying pleural plaques than chest radiography, and CT is helpful in excluding other differential diagnoses such as extrapleural fat deposition, postinflammatory pleural thickening, pleural metastases, and diffuse pleural thickening. The pleural plaques signify previous asbestos exposure; if they are unassociated with intrathoracic malignancy or pulmonary fibrosis, they do not cause symptoms and are benign.