2002 Volume 16 Issue 7 Pages 789-792
A 46-year-old man with occupational exposure to asbestos presented with a pulmonary mass with pleural thickness in the left lung. After 4 months observation at another hospital, computed tomography revealed enlargement of the mass. Transbronchial lung biopsy and fine-needle biopsy did not disclose any evidence of malignancy. Although rounded atelectasis was mostly suspected, malignant disease including mesothelioma could not be excluded because of the occupational history. An exploratory thoracotomy was performed. The histopathological findings by the needle-biopsy at surgery showed no malignancy and diagnosed the mass as rounded atelectasis. In the case of enlarging rounded atelectasis, an exploratory thoracotomy would be required.
