Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 29, 2025
Imaging Features of Systemic Sclerosis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease
Published on: June 16, 2020
Evaluation of pulmonary involvement in systemic rheumatic diseases with high resolution computed tomography and
Ahmet Cemal Pazarlı1, Halil İbrahim Yakar1, Handan İnönü Köseoğlu1
1Department of Chest Diseases, Gaziosmanpaşa University Faculty of Medicine, Tokat, Turkey.
Introduction:
The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical and radiological features and pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in patients with the pulmonary involvement of systemic rheumatic diseases (SRDs).
Materials And Methods:
This study was conducted as a retrospective and single-center study. Patients diagnosed with an SRD and admitted/referred to the department of chest diseases of our hospital between January 2015 and June 2019 were enrolled. All patients were evaluated using High Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) and PFT.
Result:
This study included 68 patients (15 males, 53 females) with a mean age of 62.38 ± 12.4 years. Forty-one (60.2%) patients had diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 10 (14.7%) patients had sjögren's syndrome (SS), 8 (11.7%) patients had systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 6 (8.8%) patients had systemic sclerosis (SSc), and 3 (4.4%) patients had mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). While RA, SLE, MCTD patients were more commonly symptomatic, most of the SS patients were asymptomatic. Overall, 30 (44.1%) patients had normal PFT. Although 30 (%44.1) patients were asymptomatic and 30 (%44.1) patients had normal PFTs, at least one imaging finding was found in all patients according to HRCT imaging. "Bronchiectasis" was the most common HRCT finding in RA, followed by "chronic fibrotic changes" and "peribronchial thickening". "Chronic fibrotic changes" and "peribronchial thickening" were the most common changes in SS. Similarly, "peribronchial thickening" was the most common radiologic finding in SLE. As for SSc, "chronic fibrotic changes", "interlobular septal thickening", and "pleural effusion" were the most common radiologic findings.
Conclusions:
Pulmonary involvement in systemic rheumatic diseases can occur with various radiological images even in asymptomatic patients. PFTs can be normal as well as an obstructive, restrictive or mixed pattern can be seen. Heterogeneous and combined HRCT findings can be seen in SRD patients.
More Related Videos
02:09Multi-modal Pulmonary Imaging: Using Complementary Information from CT and Hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI to Evaluate Lung Structure-Function
Published on: April 12, 2024
06:31Author Spotlight: Enhancing Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Through HR-pQCT Imaging Analysis
Published on: October 6, 2023
Related Concept Videos
01:22Rheumatic Heart Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
01:27Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-IV: Assessement and Diagnostic Studies
Medical History
01:20Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System III: X-Ray
Definition and Purpose
An X-ray, or radiograph, is a non-invasive method that uses ionizing radiation to take images of internal structures. It is mainly used in cardiac imaging to examine the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels, aiming to identify abnormalities in the heart's size, shape, and position, such as heart failure, congenital defects, and vascular...
01:26Pulmonary Tuberculosis IV
Several diagnostic approaches are used to detect TB. The conventional method is the Tuberculin Skin Test (TST), also known as the Mantoux test. However, this method has...
01:13Radiological Investigation III: Pulmonary Angiogram and PET Scan
Pulmonary Angiogram
A Pulmonary Angiogram is an invasive procedure involving injecting a contrast medium through a catheter threaded into the pulmonary artery or the right side of the heart to visualize the pulmonary vasculature. Computed Tomography (CT) scans have mainly replaced this...
01:25Pulmonary Function Tests
Pulmonary Function Tests are crucial diagnostic tools for assessing respiratory function, particularly in patients with chronic respiratory disorders. They comprehensively evaluate lung volumes, ventilatory function, breathing mechanics, diffusion, and gas exchange. These tests help diagnose pulmonary diseases and play a significant role in monitoring disease progression, evaluating disability, and assessing response to therapy.
PFTs involve using a spirometer, a...