Childhood Interstitial Lung Disease: Imaging Guidelines and Recommendations

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Radiology
• Medical Genetics

Background:

• Childhood interstitial lung disease (ChILD) comprises various diffuse lung diseases in children.
• Accurate ChILD diagnosis is challenging, necessitating a comprehensive approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the definition, classification, and diagnostic modalities of ChILD.
• To present a practical imaging approach for ChILD based on current research.
• To highlight the characteristic imaging features of different ChILD entities.

Main Methods:

• Multidisciplinary integration of imaging findings, clinical data, and genetics.
• Review of current literature and characteristic imaging appearances of ChILD.
• Discussion of diagnostic roles of imaging, pathology, and genetics.

Main Results:

• ChILD diagnosis is optimized through combining imaging, clinical information, genetics, and biopsy.
• The article provides a structured overview of ChILD entities and their imaging manifestations.
• A practical imaging strategy for ChILD is presented.

Conclusions:

• A multidisciplinary approach is crucial for accurate ChILD diagnosis.
• Understanding characteristic imaging findings is key to managing ChILD.
• Future research should focus on refining diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for ChILD.