Imaging
Pulmonary Fibrosis
- Preliminary Diagnosis: Pulmonary Fibrosis
-
I. What imaging technique is first-line for this diagnosis?
- II. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of this technique for diagnosing pulmonary fibrosis.
-
III. What are the contraindications for the first-line imaging technique?
-
IV. What alternative imaging techniques are available?
- V. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the alternative techniques for diagnosing pulmonary fibrosis.
-
VI. What are the contraindications for the alternative imaging techniques?
Preliminary Diagnosis: Pulmonary Fibrosis
I. What imaging technique is first-line for this diagnosis?
Chest x-ray, PA, and lateral view.
II. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of this technique for diagnosing pulmonary fibrosis.
Advantages
Highly portable.
Relatively inexpensive and exposes patients to minimal ionizing radiation.
Disadvantages
Less sensitive and specific in detailing the underlying parenchyma and pleura or detecting and characterizing any secondary pulmonary complications compared to companion cross sectional CT imaging.
Less adept in characterizing parenchymal architecture or specific abnormalities of the secondary pulmonary lobule.
III. What are the contraindications for the first-line imaging technique?
No specific contraindications to plain radiography exist. Some institutions may require consent for pregnant patients.
IV. What alternative imaging techniques are available?
CT/high resolution CT of the chest without contrast.
V. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the alternative techniques for diagnosing pulmonary fibrosis.
Advantages
Highly sensitive and specific in detecting and characterizing any primary parenchymal or pleural abnormality and characterizing any secondary complication.
Offers exquisite detail of the underlying lung architecture, with particular focus on the secondary pulmonary lobule.
May help guide treatment.
May help determine the chronicity of an interstitial pulmonary process.
Disadvantages
Exposes patients to significantly more ionizing radiation than plain radiography.
More expensive and less portable compared to plain radiography.
VI. What are the contraindications for the alternative imaging techniques?
May be contraindicated in pregnant patients.
Copyright © 2017, 2014 Decision Support in Medicine, LLC. All rights reserved.
No sponsor or advertiser has participated in, approved or paid for the content provided by Decision Support in Medicine LLC. The Licensed Content is the property of and copyrighted by DSM.
Related Resources
Sign Up for Free e-newsletters
Regimen and Drug Listings
GET FULL LISTINGS OF TREATMENT Regimens and Drug INFORMATION
Bone Cancer | Regimens | Drugs |
Brain Cancer | Regimens | Drugs |
Breast Cancer | Regimens | Drugs |
Endocrine Cancer | Regimens | Drugs |
Gastrointestinal Cancer | Regimens | Drugs |
Gynecologic Cancer | Regimens | Drugs |
Head and Neck Cancer | Regimens | Drugs |
Hematologic Cancer | Regimens | Drugs |
Lung Cancer | Regimens | Drugs |
Other Cancers | Regimens | |
Prostate Cancer | Regimens | Drugs |
Rare Cancers | Regimens | |
Renal Cell Carcinoma | Regimens | Drugs |
Skin Cancer | Regimens | Drugs |
Urologic Cancers | Regimens | Drugs |
Cancer Therapy Advisor Articles
- Patient-Reported Outcomes in Oncology Expected to Make Regulatory Waves
- Metastatic Prostate Cancer Responds to Novel Radiation Therapy
- FDA Provides Update on Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma
- Q&A With Mark B. Gerstein, PhD, on Diagnostic Genomic vs Exomic Sequencing
- Immune Signature for Renal Cell Papillary Carcinoma Predicts Outcome
- Nivolumab-Ipilimumab Survival Benefit in Advanced RCC Confirmed
- Two-Drug Combination Superior to Sunitinib in Patients With Untreated Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
- Adding Chemotherapy to Radiation Post-Radical Cystectomy Improves Survival in Urothelial Carcinoma
- Radiation, Chemotherapy Not Beneficial in Localized Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma
- Radical Cystectomy Superior to Trimodal Therapy for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer