Pleural thickening is an increase in the bulkiness of one or both of the

pulmonary pleurae The pleurae (: pleura) are the two flattened closed sacs filled with pleural fluid, each ensheathing each lung and lining their surrounding tissues, locally appearing as two opposing layers of serous membrane separating the lungs from the medias ...

. A severe form of the condition is known as

fibrothorax Fibrothorax is a medical condition characterised by severe scarring ( fibrosis) and fusion of the layers of the pleural space surrounding the lungs resulting in decreased movement of the lung and ribcage. The main symptom of fibrothorax is shor ...

Causes

Pleural plaques

Pleural plaques are patchy collections of hyalinized collagen in the parietal pleura. They have a

holly ''Ilex'' () or holly is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...

leaf appearance on

X-ray An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...

. They are indicators of

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

exposure, and the most common asbestos-induced lesion. They usually appear after 20 years or more of exposure and never degenerate into

mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The area most commonly affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lini ...

. They appear as fibrous plaques on the parietal

pleura The pleurae (: pleura) are the two flattened closed sacs filled with pleural fluid, each ensheathing each lung and lining their surrounding tissues, locally appearing as two opposing layers of serous membrane separating the lungs from the med ...

, usually on both sides, and at the posterior and inferior part of the chest wall as well as the diaphragm.

References

{{reflist Asbestos Respiratory diseases

Causes

Pleural plaques

See also

References