If there is reason to suspect you may have a mesothelioma, one or more diagnostic methods will be used by your doctor.
March 7, 2005 (Press Release) --
Malignant Mesothelioma Diagnosis
If there is reason to suspect you may have a mesothelioma, one or more diagnostic methods will be used by your doctor.
Medical history and physical examination
A complete medical history is taken to establish risk factors and presence of symptoms. This interview includes questions to determine in which environment you may have been exposed to asbestos.
A thorough physical exam is conducted with an eye towards revealing signs of malignant mesothelioma and any other health problems. Patients with pleural mesotheliomas (mesotheliomas of the chest) often have pleural effusion (fluid in their chest cavity) caused by the cancer. Ascites (fluid in the abdominal cavity) in cases of peritoneal mesothelioma, and pericardial effusion (fluid in the pericardium) in cases of pericardial mesothelioma can also be detected during a physical exam.
Imaging tests
A chest x-ray may show irregular thickening of the pleura, pleural calcifications (mineral deposits), lowering of the lung fissures (spaces between the lobes of the lungs), and fluid in the pleural space. These findings suggest asbestos exposure leading to the development of a malignant mesothelioma.
Imaging studies such as x-rays, computed tomography (CT) scans, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans will help determine the location, size, and extent of the cancer. The CT scan uses a rotating x-ray beam to create a series of pictures of the body from many angles. A computer combines these pictures to produce detailed cross-sectional images of a selected part of the body. To highlight details on the CT scan, you may be asked for permission to have a harmless dye injected into a vein. MRI uses magnetic fields instead of x-rays to create images of selected areas of the body. As with the CT scan, a computer generates a detailed cross-sectional image.
more details:
http://www.mesothelioma-asbestos-lung-cancer.com/information/mesdiag.shtml
If there is reason to suspect you may have a mesothelioma, one or more diagnostic methods will be used by your doctor.
Medical history and physical examination
A complete medical history is taken to establish risk factors and presence of symptoms. This interview includes questions to determine in which environment you may have been exposed to asbestos.
A thorough physical exam is conducted with an eye towards revealing signs of malignant mesothelioma and any other health problems. Patients with pleural mesotheliomas (mesotheliomas of the chest) often have pleural effusion (fluid in their chest cavity) caused by the cancer. Ascites (fluid in the abdominal cavity) in cases of peritoneal mesothelioma, and pericardial effusion (fluid in the pericardium) in cases of pericardial mesothelioma can also be detected during a physical exam.
Imaging tests
A chest x-ray may show irregular thickening of the pleura, pleural calcifications (mineral deposits), lowering of the lung fissures (spaces between the lobes of the lungs), and fluid in the pleural space. These findings suggest asbestos exposure leading to the development of a malignant mesothelioma.
Imaging studies such as x-rays, computed tomography (CT) scans, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans will help determine the location, size, and extent of the cancer. The CT scan uses a rotating x-ray beam to create a series of pictures of the body from many angles. A computer combines these pictures to produce detailed cross-sectional images of a selected part of the body. To highlight details on the CT scan, you may be asked for permission to have a harmless dye injected into a vein. MRI uses magnetic fields instead of x-rays to create images of selected areas of the body. As with the CT scan, a computer generates a detailed cross-sectional image.
more details:
http://www.mesothelioma-asbestos-lung-cancer.com/information/mesdiag.shtml
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