Reticular Opacities
Reticular opacities seen on HRCT in patients with diffuse lung disease can indicate lung infiltration with interstitial thickening or fibrosis. Three principal patterns of reticulation may be seen. These are…
Nodular Lung Disease
Diffuse lung diseases presenting with small nodules (less than 1 cm in diameter) represent a wide variety of entities in many different disease categories. HRCT is generally used to suggest…
Pulmonary Infections
Infection is a common cause of lung disease in both immunocompromised patients and those with a normal immune status. This chapter focuses on a general approach to suspected infection, the…
Increased Lung Attenuation: Ground Glass Opacity and Consolidation
Abnormalities characterized by increased lung opacity can be divided into two categories based upon their attenuation: ground glass opacity (GGO) and consolidation. Each of these findings tends to be nonspecific…
Neoplastic and Lymphoproliferative Diseases
Pulmonary neoplasm and lymphoproliferative disorders may present with diffuse lung abnormalities. The goal of this chapter is to discuss the various patterns of diffuse pulmonary neoplasm and lymphoproliferative disease and…
Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis is an idiopathic disorder characterized by the presence of noncaseating granulomas, often found in relation to lymphatics, and involving many organs. It typically presents in patients less than 50…
Complications of Medical Treatment:Drug-Induced Lung Disease and Radiation
DRUG-INDUCED LUNG DISEASE Drug-induced lung disease is often overlooked or misdiagnosed. The most common categories of drugs that result in lung disease include chemotherapeutic agents, cardiac medications, and antibiotics. Drug-induced…
Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis and Eosinophilic Lung Disease
HYPERSENSITIVITY PNEUMONITIS Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) represents an immune reaction to inhaled organic antigens. The possible sources of these antigens are diverse and include microbes, animals, plant material, and various chemicals….
Pneumoconioses
The incidence of pneumoconioses is decreasing in relation to other diffuse lung diseases, because of a greater emphasis on prevention in high-risk occupations. Because they often have HRCT findings that…
Pulmonary Vascular Diseases
Vascular diseases of the lung may affect arteries, veins, and/or capillaries. They are primarily evaluated using modalities such as echocardiography, contrast-enhanced CT, or conventional angiography, but in selected cases, HRCT…
