Clinics in chest medicine
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Lung involvement is common in patients who have complications of connective tissue disease (CTDs) and causes considerable morbidity and mortality. High resolution CT (HRCT) has a pivotal role in the detection of lung fibrosis. In patients who have coexistent pathologic processes, HRCT often allows the predominant process to be identified. ⋯ However, the limitations of HRCT should not be overlooked. In many cases, HRCT appearances are nonspecific and may or may not be related to an underlying CTD. Thus, radiologic findings should never be interpreted without knowledge of the clinical picture.
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Clinics in chest medicine · Mar 2008
ReviewImaging of occupational and environmental lung diseases.
The chest radiograph is the basic tool for identifying occupational and environmental lung diseases; however, its sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of occupational and environmental lung diseases are low. High-resolution CT is the optimal method of recognizing parenchymal abnormalities in occupational and environmental disease. With the exception of pleural plaques, the CT findings of occupational and environmental lung diseases are nonspecific. Therefore, correlation of imaging features with history of exposure, other clinical features, and sometimes pathology is needed for the diagnosis of pneumoconiosis.
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Clinics in chest medicine · Mar 2008
ReviewImaging of small airways disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
CT is a useful tool for identification of small airways diseases, and it can be used to classify these entities into inflammatory and constrictive bronchiolitis. Inflammatory forms of bronchiolitis include cellular bronchiolitis (usually caused by infection or aspiration), respiratory bronchiolitis, panbronchiolitis, and follicular bronchiolitis. Constrictive bronchiolitis may be caused by previous infection, toxic inhalation, collagen vascular disease, or transplantation. CT also helps categorize chronic obstructive pulmonary disease into emphysema predominant and airway predominant forms.