Dear doctor, I had a medical record saying that "the lungs are clear, there is mild obscuration of the left costophrenic angle, which may be related to pleural thickening". What is the meaning of this report?
Hi. Pleura is a covering membrane (a plastic cover like structure) which covers the entire lung. If the pleura gets thickened, then it causes obscuration of costophrenic angle. There are many causes of pleural thickening like: If you do not have any problem presently then there is no need to evaluate at present for the cause of pleural thickening except avoid exposure to chemicals (if at all you are getting exposed). You can repeat chest x-ray after six months for a follow up. But, if you are having any problems like cough, weight loss, or breathlessness, I advise you to get HRCT of the chest (high-resolution computed tomography) and pleural biopsy test done. Revert back to a general medicine physician online -->