HRCT Interpretation Algorithm for Suspected Fibrotic Interstitial Lung Disease

If airway-centric disease has been ruled out and interstitial lung disease is suspected, making the distinction between fibrosing and non-fibrosing interstitial lung disease is imperative to narrow the differential diagnosis.¹⁰ Once it has been established that the underlying disorder is fibrotic in nature, the differential can be narrowed down to 5 diagnoses: usual interstitial pneumonia, non-specific interstitial pneumonia, organizing pneumonia, chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis, or fibrotic sarcoidosis. Next, we will discuss the hallmark features of these 5 diseases.¹⁰