Abstract
Background: Chest-X-ray has several limitations in detecting the extent of pulmonary disease in sarcoidosis. It might not reflect the degree of pulmonary involvement in patients with sarcoidosis when compared to computed tomography of the thorax. We aimed to investigate the HRCT findings of pulmonary sarcoidosis and to find out the existence of possible relations between HRCT findings and PFTs. In addition, we aimed to investigate the accordance between HRCT findings and conventional chest-X-ray staging of pulmonary sarcoidosis. Method: 45 patients with sarcoidosis with a mean age 29.7+/− 8.4 years were evaluated. Six of them were female and 39 were male. The type, distribution and extent of the parameters on HRCT/CTs were evaluated and scored. Chest-X-rays were evaluated for the stage of pulmonary sarcoidosis. Correlations were investigated between HRCT/ CT parameter scores, Chest X-Ray stages and pulmonary function parameters. Results: Nodule, micronodule, ground glass opacity and consolidation were the most common HRCT findings. There were significant correlations between pulmonary function parameters, HRCT pattern scores, and chest-X-ray stages. A significant correlation between chest-x-ray score and total HRCT score was found. Conclusions: Pulmonary sarcoidosis patients might have various pulmonary parenchymal changes on HRCT. Thorax HRCT was superior to chest-X-ray in detecting pulmonary parenchymal abnormalities. The degree of pulmonary involvement might be closely related to the loss of pulmonary function measured by PFTs. Chest-X-ray is considered to have a role in the evaluation of pulmonary sarcoidosis.
Highlights
Chest-X-ray has several limitations in detecting the extent of pulmonary disease in sarcoidosis
The degree of pulmonary involvement might be closely related to the loss of pulmonary function measured by pulmonary function test (PFT)
In conclusion, we have shown that pulmonary sarcoidosis patients may have various pulmonary parenchymal changes, seen in other interstitial lung diseases
Summary
Chest-X-ray has several limitations in detecting the extent of pulmonary disease in sarcoidosis. More than one organ or system involvement at the time of diagnosis is a usual feature of the disease Even though it is a chronic disorder, remissions during the course of the disease are common especially in the lower radiologic stages of the disease [1,2,3,4,5]. For this reason, in clinical practice the treatment with steroids is indicated for patients with severe pulmonary disease.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call