Presentation
Chronic cough and left-sided chest pain for a long time.
Patient Data
Left lower hemithorax dense irregular linear calcifications deep to the left lateral rib cage associated with tenting of the left diaphragm.
Lungs are clear.
CT images confirm a thick sheet of pleural thickening and calcification on the left costal pleural surface. A review of other windows showed no signs of asbestos-related lung disease.
Case Discussion
The presence of a solitary, evident unilateral sheet of pleural calcification points more to local causes such as previous hemothorax and pleural infection (empyema) than to calcification of asbestos-related plaques.