INDUSTRIAL PLEUROPULMONARY DISORDERS: RADIOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS.

Industrial pleuropulmonary disorders may result from exposure of the human respiratory tract to diverse types of dusts and fumes, visible and invisible, benign and toxic, organic and inorganic. Meticulous radiological examination, combined with history and physical examination, appropriate laboratory tests, and the exclusion of other disorders which could produce similar changes, is essential for correct diagnosis. Criteria for the radiological diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis, of generalized emphysema, and of cor pulmonale are outlined. The commoner types of pneumoconiosis are discussed in some detail, and the possible relationship of various inhaled noxa to primary bronchial carcinoma is considered.