The use and impact of HRCT in diffuse lung disease

Diffuse lung disease (DLD) encompasses a complex spectrum of histological features, radiological patterns, and clinical manifestations. Radiologists employ a combination of chest radiographs and computed tomography (CT) to narrow the differential diagnosis of DLD. It is crucial for the pathologist to interpret lung histology in DLD with an appreciation of information provided by radiological studies. Chest radiography and computed tomography essentially capture the entire lung as an in vivo gross specimen, and convey architectural details, multifocal abnormatlities, and overall distribution of findings. These radiological patterns are often characteristic of a specific disease or category of diseases. Consideration of such invaluable information may directly impact the differential diagnosis of a histological specimen in DLD, which is often otherwise examined in isolation.