Apices

The apices are the uppermost, rounded tips of the lungs, sitting just above the collarbone on each side of the chest. "Apices" is the plural of "apex," meaning the highest point of a cone-shaped structure. Radiologists routinely examine the lung apices as one of several standard regions when reading chest X-rays or CT scans.

Origin

From the Latin apex, meaning "summit" or "peak." In anatomy, the term has long been used to describe the tip of a cone-shaped organ, with the lung apices first formally described in classical anatomical texts.

Significance in Asbestos Context

Where lung abnormalities appear matters in diagnosing asbestos-related disease. Classic asbestosis and pleural plaques tend to appear first in the lower lobes (the bases) and along the diaphragm, while findings limited to the apices more often suggest other conditions such as tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, or smoking-related changes like centrilobular emphysema. That said, advanced asbestosis can spread to involve all lung zones, including the apices, and asbestos-related lung cancer or mesothelioma can develop in upper lung regions as well. Because defense experts sometimes argue that apical findings point away from asbestos, the distribution of disease across your lungs, documented in your imaging reports, becomes important medical evidence. A B-reader or pulmonologist experienced in occupational lung disease can interpret the overall pattern in the context of your exposure history rather than relying on a single region of the lungs.

Example Sentence

The radiologist noted scarring in the lung apices along with more extensive fibrosis in the lower lobes, and the pulmonologist explained that the overall pattern was consistent with the patient's decades of occupational asbestos exposure.

Related Terms

Lung Bases, Asbestosis, Pleural Plaques, B-Reader, High-Resolution CT (HRCT), Pulmonary Fibrosis

Notes

• If your radiology report describes findings in the apices, ask your pulmonologist directly: "Is the overall pattern of disease in my lungs consistent with asbestos exposure, or could something else explain the upper-lung changes?"
• Preserve every chest X-ray, CT scan, and radiology report you have, including older studies. Serial imaging that shows disease progressing across lung regions over time is strong evidence in both medical evaluation and legal claims.
• Ask whether your imaging can be reviewed by a NIOSH-certified B-reader, who is specifically trained to distinguish asbestos-related patterns from other causes of lung scarring.
• If you have a history of tuberculosis, fungal infection, or significant smoking, make sure these are documented so your physician can clearly separate which findings are attributable to asbestos and which aren't. Transparency strengthens rather than weakens a claim.