Asbestosis and Nodular Lesions of the Lung

A Radiologic Study

¹ Department of Radiology, Tulane University School of Medicine, and the Charity Hospital of Louisiana, New Orleans

The rarity of asbestosis and concomitant nodular lesions of the lung has resulted in disagreement regarding the association of the two conditions. The radiographs of six patients with nodular lesions of the lung in association with asbestosis prompted a review. Symptoms may be absent or may cause severe incapacity. Complications of asbestosis include pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary insufficiency, bronchogenic carcinoma, malignant mesothelioma, and abdominal tumors. The first report of nodular lesions associated with asbestosis was made by Caplan who suggested that the lesions may have been a manifestation of tuberculosis, modified by dust and rheumatoid arthritis. Later, similar lesions were noted in asbestos workers with no radiographic evidence of asbestosis or rheumatoid arthritis. Our study confirms the presence of nodular and cysticlesions in radiographs of patients with asbetosis. Since asbestosis may be serious and the complications can be fatal, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with nodular lung lesions who have been exposed to asbestos.