[An assessment of low-dose high resolution CT in the detection of benign asbestos-related pleural abnormalities]. / Exploration tomodensitométrique des sujets exposés à l'amiante: validation des coupes millimétriques haute résolution à faible dose.

PURPOSE: To assess the reliability of low-dose high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in the detection of benign asbestos-related pleural abnormalities. METHODS: Fourty-one patients exposed to asbestos were imaged on two occasions; the first time with conventional HRCT parameters: 140kVp, 220mAs; the second time with low-dose HRCT parameters: 120kVp, 60mAs. RESULTS: The qualitative assessment dit not show any difference in the visibility of benign pleural abnormalities from one technique to the other in 98% cases. CONCLUSION: The detection of pleural plaques and thickening did not vary with the two scanning protocols and, when compared with conventional HRCT, low-dose HRCT allows reduced radiation exposure by at least 76.5%, with an absorbed dose close to that delivered when using conventional chest radiography. Nevertheless, low-dose HRCT is a complementary study to helical acquisitions.