Diaphragmatic straightness in 302 asbestos-exposed patients.

The relationship was studied between the presence in X-rays of one or several regions of straightness on the diaphragm, which interrupt or replace its normal curve, and the intensity, length and latency of asbestos exposure. Subjects were four groups in whom intensity of exposure, assessed by questionnaire and by ferruginous body counts, increased progressively. Diaphragmatic straightness increased with increasing intensity but not with length or latency of asbestos exposure.