Imaging Features of Autoimmune Disease-Related Interstitial Lung Diseases.

Abstract

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) associated with autoimmune diseases show characteristic signs of imaging. Radiologic signs are also used in the identification of ILDs with features suggestive of autoimmune disease that do not meet the criteria for a specific autoimmune disease. Radiologists play a key role in identifying these signs and assessing their relevance as part of multidisciplinary team discussions. A radiologist may be the first health care professional to pick up signs of autoimmune disease in a patient referred for assessment of ILD or with suspicion for ILD. Multidisciplinary team discussion of imaging findings observed during follow-up may inform a change in diagnosis or identify progression, with implications for a patient's treatment regimen. This article describes the imaging features of autoimmune disease-related ILDs and the role of radiologists in assessing their relevance.