La Radiologia medica
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La Radiologia medica · Jan 2003
Progressive worsening of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. High resolution computed tomography (HRCT) study with functional correlations.
To evaluate the usefulness of the high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) visual score in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and its correlation with respiratory function tests. ⋯ IPF exhibited a progressive deterioration both in HRCT extent of disease and lung function impairment. There is a significant correlation between HRCT visual score and lung function tests both at diagnosis and at follow-up. The HRCT study is able to identify and quantify anatomic IPF and also to evaluate the progression of the disease. In clinical practice, the HRCT visual score of disease extent can be used in association with function tests to monitor IPF evolution, and to evaluate prognosis and therapy. In the future, helical CT with 3D model construction will provide a more precise IPF quantification with automatic score.