Chronic diffuse lung disease

During the past decade there have been several important advances in both the radiological classification and imaging of chronic diffuse lung disease, both infiltrative lung diseases and emphysema. Improvements in imaging are the result of the widespread use of high-kilovoltage standard chest radiography, and the development of advanced fourth-generation computed tomographic scanners which permit high-resolution definition of the lung parenchyma. This chapter review newer approaches to both pattern recognition and classification of diffuse lung disease and the application of new technology such as high-resolution computed tomography, gallium scanning, and magnetic resonance imaging in the study of these diseases