Rounded Atelectasis

Rounded atelectasis is a benign, rounded area of collapsed lung that forms next to thickened pleura, the lining of the lung. It is common in people with asbestos-related pleural disease and can look like a tumor on an X-ray or CT scan, but it is not cancer.

Origin

The condition was described in the 1960s and 1970s, when radiologists recognized that some pleural-based "masses" in asbestos-exposed workers were folded, airless lung rather than tumors. It is also called folded lung or Blesovsky syndrome, after the surgeon who described it in 1966.

Significance in Asbestos Context

Scarring of the pleura can pull part of the lung inward and fold it on itself. On CT this creates a round or oval shadow against the pleura with blood vessels and airways curving into it, the "comet tail" sign. Recognizing that pattern can spare a patient an unnecessary operation, but when the CT is not typical, doctors may still need a PET scan or biopsy to rule out cancer. For a claim, rounded atelectasis is evidence of asbestos-related pleural disease and belongs in the medical record alongside pleural plaques or diffuse pleural thickening.

Example Sentence

The CT showed a two-centimeter rounded shadow against thickened pleura with a comet-tail of vessels, which the radiologist read as rounded atelectasis rather than a tumor.

Related Terms

Atelectasis, Diffuse Pleural Thickening, Pleural Plaques, CT Scan, PET Scan, Benign

Notes

• If a CT report mentions a "mass" next to the pleura, ask whether rounded atelectasis has been considered.
• Follow-up imaging is usually recommended to confirm the shadow is stable.
• Keep the reports: they document asbestos-related pleural disease even though the finding is benign.