Epidemiology
- xxx
Etiology
- Asbestos exposure:
- Idiopathic: 33% of cases have minimal or no asbestos exposure
Diagnosis
- Chest CT
- PET Scan: sensitive for detection of mediastinal/hilar nodes
Pleural fluid:
-pH:
-LDH ratio:
-Total protein ratio:
-Glucose:
-Cell count/diff:
-Cholesterol: elevated >55-60 mg/dL (seen in all exudates)
-Pleural: serum cholesterol ratio: elevated (seen in all exudates)
CXR/Chest CT Patterns:
1) Pleural effusion: present in most mesothelioma cases
-However, sarcomatous cell type may have small or no pleural effusion
2) Pleural thickening with encasement of lung: may involve the mediastinal pleura (mediastinal pleural involvement is uncommon in benign pleural diseases)
Clinical
- Chest wall pain: this distinguishes it from fibrothorax, where chest pain is rare
- Dyspnea:
- Weight loss:
Treatment
- xxx
References
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