Pathology and radiology correlation of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias

By nature, idiopathic interstitial pneumonias have been diagnosed in a multidisciplinary manner. As classifications have been subject to significant refinement over the last decade, the importance of correlating clinical, radiologic, and pathologic information to arrive at a diagnosis, which will predict prognosis in any given patient, has become increasingly recognized. In 2013, the American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society updated the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias classification scheme, addressing the most recent updates in the field. The purpose of this review is to highlight the correlations between radiologic and pathologic findings in idiopathic interstitial pneumonias while using updated classification schemes and naming conventions.