Precise radiologic-pathologic correlation of high-resolution thoracic CT

High-resolution CT (HRCT) of the lung provides anatomic detail of the fine structure of the lung, which necessitates precise correlative techniques that are reliable at the lobular level. This paper reports on a precise method for analyzing in vivo HRCT images by correlation with specimen HRCT, specimen radiography, macroscopic appearance, and histology. We studied 40 Yorkshire pigs. Dense consolidation, patchy increased parenchymal densities, increased densities along bronchovascular bundles, thickening of interlobular septa, and decreased attenuation areas of lung parenchyma were correlated. Since the fine structure of the lung shows remarkable similarity between the human and the pig, our observations may be applicable to HRCT in the clinical setting