Pleural plaques: only an imagiologic finding?

Our plain-English summary of Pleural plaques: only an imagiologic finding?, by P. Almeida, A. Araújo (The Pan African Medical Journal, 2019).

The study

• Authors: P. Almeida, A. Araújo
• Journal: The Pan African Medical Journal
• Published: 2019;34:156
• Type of article: Case report
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

In plain English

This article was a short 'Image in medicine' report about one patient. It shows what was found in a single person, not how often anything happens. An 80-year-old man, who had worked in construction placing roofs and ceilings between the ages of 25 and 60, was admitted to hospital with decompensated heart failure. His chest X-ray showed an enlarged heart, congestion at the bases of both lungs, and well-defined areas suggestive of pleural calcifications. A high-resolution CT scan showed multiple large calcifications, some with areas of pleural thickening suggestive of pleural plaques. Lung function tests, bronchofibroscopy (an examination of the airways) and pleural biopsies showed no abnormalities. His heart failure symptoms improved and resolved with diuretics and adjusted heart failure treatment. The article did not name any asbestos product or fiber type the man had handled. The authors stated that, as in this patient, diagnosis of pleural plaques relies on imaging findings together with a compatible history of exposure. They also stated that pleural plaques do not need specific treatment. The patient had no symptoms from the plaques and continued outpatient follow-up.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Case report (single-patient 'Image in medicine' report)
• Who was studied: One 80-year-old man, a former construction worker, admitted with decompensated heart failure. The authors work at the Internal Medicine Service, Baixo Vouga Hospital Center, Aveiro, Portugal, but the case account does not say where the patient was admitted.
• Exposure: Construction work placing roofs and ceilings between ages 25 and 60. The article presents this as a compatible exposure history but does not name an asbestos product or fiber type.
• Main results:
  • In this patient, high-resolution chest CT showed multiple gross calcifications, some associated with areas of pleural thickening suggestive of pleural plaques
  • In this patient, pulmonary function tests, bronchofibroscopy and pleural biopsies showed no alterations
  • The patient's heart failure symptoms improved and resolved after diuretics and optimized heart failure therapy
• The authors' conclusion: The authors stated that, as in this patient, diagnosis of pleural plaques relies on radiographic findings and a compatible history of exposure, that pleural plaques do not require specific treatment, and that the asymptomatic patient continued outpatient follow-up

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Pleural plaques and thickening.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Pleural Plaques.

Related studies

• Asbestos-related pleural plaques — C.K. Lim, Y.F. Chen (2014)
• Pleural fibrocalcific plaques and asbestos exposure — L.O. Meurman (1968)
• CT demonstration of interlobar fissure calcification due to asbestos exposure — S.D. Rockoff (1987)
• Causative factors, imaging findings, and CT course of round atelectasis — L. Azour, T. Billah, et al. (2018)
• Pleural plaques: a signpost of asbestos dust inhalation — E.N. Sargent, G. Jacobson, et al. (1977)
• Multiple pleural plaques. II — H.C. Anton (1968)

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