[Asbestosic pleural calcifications and the associated pathology (study of 32 cases)]

The presence of calcified pleural plaques together with asbestos professional exposition is the sign of patent dust inhaling and can be related to asbestos pathology. The observations on a homogeneous group of 32 cases of asbestosic pleural calcifications are analyzed. The frequency of malignant pleural and bronchial tumours (2 pleural mesothelioma, 3 bronchial epithelioma) is classical. That there was no serious pulmonary fibrosis can be attributed to the conditions of dust inhaling. There was a relatively high frequency of pleural effusions, the benignity of which could not always be ascertained. Therefore, besides the convincing facts, the precise study of cases with calcified pleural plaques (pleural antecedents, circumstances of the discovery, evolution) could be a rough way of appreciating the frequency of benign asbestos pleurisies.