High Resolution Computed Tomography Patterns of Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Diseases with Clinical and Pathological Correlation

High Resolution Computed Tomography Patterns of Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Diseases

Abstract

Background: Aim: To assess the radiological patterns of DPLDs and their correlation with clinical and histopathological findings and to evaluate the role of HRCT in DPLDs. Subjects and Methods: 42 patients were included from amongst the patients with a strong clinical suspicion of diffuse parenchymal lung disease. All the patients underwent clinical assessment, pulmonary function tests, conventional chest radiography, high resolution computed tomography and histopathological examination and the data was recorded on the proforma after informed consent. The patients were scanned using SIEMENs SOMATOM SENSATION 16 Slice Spiral CT Machine. Results: The most commonly identified diffuse parenchymal lung diseases were Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and Miliary tuberculosis, each comprising 19.1 % of the total number of cases. The next most common group was of patients with   Sarcoidosis, comprising of 16.7 % of the total cases. The most common abnormalities seen on spirometry are reduced FVC (44.7% patients had FVC value ranging between 61% to 80 %.) and reduced TLC values (52.6% patients had TLC between 61% to 80%). The %FEV1/FVC is however maintained between 81% to 100% in 57.9% of total number of cases. DLco could not be performed in four patients because of very low FVC. Conclusion: High resolution computed tomography is an invaluable tool in the diagnosis and characterisation of diffuse parenchymal lung diseases in an appropriate clinical setting.