Plaque Pleurale Avec Asbestose
They are grey white areas of thickened tissue in the lung lining pleura.
Plaque pleurale avec asbestose. These plaques occur when collagen is deposited on the pleura in response to asbestos exposure. As asbestos is primarily used in construction and machinery environments asbestos related diseases in general including pleural plaques are primarily seen in men. Pleural plaques are strongly associated with inhalational exposure to asbestos.
Plaural plaques are patchy collections of hyalinized collagen in the parietal pleura. There is an extremely long latency typically 20 to 30 years after the onset of exposure 1. They usually appear after 20 years or more of exposure and never degenerate into mesothelioma.
Pleural plaques are sometimes referred to as hyaline pleural plaques. They are the most common sign of asbestos exposure. They have a holly leaf appearance on x ray.
In some patients the latency period is less than 10 years. This is because they are composed of cartilage like tissue hyaline collagen. Plaques often do not produce noticeable symptoms and are typically detected only during routine screenings of asbestos exposed individuals or by chance during x rays or ct scans taken for other reasons.
Imaging scans may show pleural plaques 20 to 30 years after long term inhalation of asbestos fibers.