High-resolution computed tomography in cases with environmental exposure to asbestos in turkey

Background and Objectives: Although all parts of the lung can be affected a s a consequence of asbestos exposure, most CT protocols tend to scan only t he middle and lower parts of the thorax. The aim of this study was to inves tigate parenchymal and pleural lesions of persons exposed to environmental asbestos, using a high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) protocol scann ing the whole thorax. Methods: We analyzed the chest radiographs and HRCT s cans of 26 patients who presented bilaterally with multiple pleural plaques related to environmental asbestos exposure. Results: Twenty-four cases (92 %) had an abnormal HRCT suggestive of asbestosis. Apart from common HRCT ch anges related to asbestosis, we detected apical pleural thickening (APT) in 9 cases as well as a coarse honeycomb pattern adjacent to APT in 7 of thes e cases. Cavitary lesions due to pulmonary tuberculosis were observed on HR CT scans from 4 patients in total. Neither apical pulmonary fibrosis nor ca vitary lesions were visible on chest radiographs. Conclusions: We suggest t hat the HRCT protocol for examining asbestos-exposed individuals with pleur al plaques on chest X-rays should include the whole thorax, since the asbes tos-related pathologies may involve all parts of the lung. Copyright (C) 20 00 S. Karger AG. Basel.