Imaging of small airways disease

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Radiology
• Pathology

Background:

• Small airways disease encompasses a range of inflammatory and fibrotic lung conditions affecting bronchioles.
• Accurate diagnosis relies on integrating clinical, pathological, and imaging data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the normal anatomy and histology of small airways.
• To describe the clinical, pathological, and imaging features of small airways diseases.

Main Methods:

• Review of normal bronchiolar anatomy and histology.
• Analysis of clinical presentations of small airways diseases.
• Correlation of pathological findings with imaging features on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT).

Main Results:

• HRCT is essential for detecting and classifying small airways disease.
• Key imaging findings include centrilobular nodules, tree-in-bud opacities, and mosaic attenuation.
• Mosaic attenuation is often more pronounced on expiratory CT scans.

Conclusions:

• HRCT provides direct and indirect signs of small airway involvement.
• Combining HRCT with clinical and pathological information enhances diagnostic accuracy for small airways diseases.