CT AND MR IN PLEURAL DISEASE - 09/09/11

A number of different imaging modalities are frequently used to image the pleural space. The most important is chest radiography which remains the initial examination in the assessment of pleural disease. Other imaging techniques can be used, however, and they include computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound. High resolution CT (HRCT) is used for evaluation of the lung parenchyma rather than the pleura. When HRCT is used to determine the presence of asbestosis in individuals exposed to asbestos, the pleura can also be imaged with this technique for the detection of pleural abnormalities such as plaques. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging currently plays a limited, although occasionally important, role in the assessment of pleural abnormalities.