Malignant Mesothelioma - Diagnostic Imaging

CXR: shows pleural effusion, and
occasionally may show a pleural-based
mass.

CT chest: often show pleural effusion alone
(74%) or pleural-based masses (92%) +/-
thickening of the interlobular septa (86%).

MRI: is useful in determining the extent of
the disease. To see if there is invasion of
local structures such as ribs, diaphragm, etc

PET scan: helps to distinguish benign from
malignant pleural masses. It is also useful
for detecting extrathoracic disease,
especially, if there is lymph-node
involvement.