Sarcoidosis, the master mimicker

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Pathology
• Internal Medicine

Background:

• Sarcoidosis is an idiopathic multisystem inflammatory disease.
• It is characterized by the formation of noncaseating granulomas in various organs.
• The pulmonary system is most commonly affected, but other organ systems can also be involved.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the typical imaging manifestations of sarcoidosis.
• To highlight common differential diagnoses that mimic sarcoidosis.
• To emphasize the importance of radiologist familiarity with multisystemic sarcoid imaging.

Main Methods:

• Review of imaging findings in sarcoidosis across multiple organ systems.
• Discussion of differential diagnoses based on imaging characteristics.
• Emphasis on multimodality imaging approaches.

Main Results:

• Sarcoidosis exhibits diverse imaging manifestations in nearly every organ system.
• Common differentials include primary neoplasms, metastatic disease, infections, and other inflammatory conditions.
• Accurate differentiation is vital to prevent patient morbidity and mortality.

Conclusions:

• Radiologists must possess a comprehensive understanding of sarcoidosis imaging beyond the pulmonary system.
• Familiarity with multimodality and multisystemic findings aids in confident diagnosis.
• Optimizing patient care relies on accurate differentiation from mimicking diseases.