Pleural disease

Updated on Dec 25, 2024

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MeSH D010995

Pleural content anomalies

Pneumothorax: a collection of air within the pleural cavity, arising either from the outside or from the lung. Pneumothoraces may be traumatic, iatrogenic, or spontaneous. A tension pneumothorax is a particular type of pneumothorax where the air may enter (though a defect of the chest wall, lung, or airways) on inspiration, but cannot exit on expiration. Each breath increases the amount of trapped air in the chest cavity, leading to further lung compression. This is often an urgent situation and may progress to a medical emergency if there is compromise of the venous return to the heart causing hypotension and rarely shock.

Pleural effusion: a fluid accumulation within the pleural space. Abnormal collections of pleural fluid may be due to excessive fluid volume (i.e. excess intravenous fluids, renal failure), decreased fluid protein (e.g. cirrhosis, proteinuria), heart failure, bleeding (hemothorax), infections (parapneumonic effusions, pleural empyema), inflammation, malignancies, or perforation of thoracic organs (i.e. chylothorax, esophageal rupture).

Pleural lesions

Pleuritis

Pleural mesothelial hyperplasia

Pleural calcified fibrous pseudotumor

Pleural plaques: discrete fibrous or partially calcified thickened area which can be seen on X-rays of individuals exposed to asbestos. Although pleural plaques are themselves asymptomatic, in some patients this develops into pleural thickening.

Pleural diseases

Pleural infections

Pleural endometriosis

Pleural tumors

Pleural tumors may be benign (i.e. solitary fibromas) or malignant in nature. Pleural Mesothelioma is a type of malignant cancer associated with asbestos exposure.

Mesothelial tumors: pleural malignant mesothelioma.

Pleural sarcomas

Pleural angiosarcoma

Pleural desmoplastic small round cell tumor (pleural DSRCT)

Pleural synovial sarcoma

Pleural solitary fibrous tumor (pleural SFT)

Smooth muscle tumors of the pleura

Pleural carcinomas

Pleural mucoepidermoid carcinoma

Pleural pseudomesotheliomatous adenocarcinoma