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Showing posts from July, 2019

Pleural Plaques

Pleural plaques are deposits of hyalinized collagen fibers in the parietal pleura. They are indicative of asbestos exposure and typically become visible twenty or more years after the inhalation of asbestos fibers, although latency periods of less than 10 years have been observed [1-3]. Pleural plaques are presumed to be the result of pleural inflammation caused by asbestos fibers that are transported to the pleural surface along lymphatic channels and/or direct penetration [4,5]. The former may explain why pleural plaques tend to be located near the stomata where asbestos fibers are resorbed by lymphatic flow (ie, Kampmeier's foci) [6]. (See "Asbestos-related pleuropulmonary disease".) Pleural plaques preferentially involve the parietal pleura adjacent to ribs, particularly the sixth through ninth ribs. They are also common along the diaphragmatic pleura. Pleural plaques are less extensive in the intercostal spaces, only rarely occur in the visceral pleura, and are co

What causes ground glass nodules in lungs?

Abstract: Pulmonary ground-glass nodules (GGNs) are hazy radiological findings on computed tomography (CT). GGNs are detected more often in never-smokers. Retrospective and prospective studies have revealed that approximately 20% of pure GGNs and 40% of part-solid GGNs gradually grow or increase their solid components, whereas others remain stable for years. Most persistent or growing GGNs are lung adenocarcinomas or their preinvasive lesions. To distinguish GGNs with growth from those without growth, GGNs should be followed for at least 5 years. Lesion size and smoking history are predictors of GGN growth. Genetic analyses of resected GGNs have suggested that EGFR mutations are also predictors for growth but a subset of KRAS- or BRAF-mutated GGNs may undergo spontaneous regression because the frequencies of KRAS or BRAF mutations decrease with the advance of pathological invasiveness. Although lobectomy is the standard surgical procedure for lung cancer, limited surgery such as wedg

What is a asymptomatic patient?

In medicine, a disease is considered asymptomatic if a patient is a carrier for a disease or infection but experiences no symptoms. A condition might be asymptomatic if it fails to show the noticeable symptoms with which it is usually associated. Asymptomatic infections are also called sub-clinical infections. URL:  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asymptomatic