[Postmortem high-resolution computed tomography of the lung. Radiologic-morphologic correlations]

To establish precise correlations between high-resolution computed tomography (CT) and normal pulmonary anatomy and pulmonary pathology, 49 lungs affected by different diseases were analysed. Post-mortem high-resolution CT scans were compared with the corresponding macroscopic and microscopic pathological findings. For scanning, lungs were inflated and fixed, which avoided any decrease in the structural resolution of pulmonary parenchyma and allowed a topographically exact correlation between CT appearances and morphological changes. After demonstration of the structural details relevant for CT in normal pulmonary parenchyma, an attempt is made to establish the morphological basis of the following CT phenomena: thickening of interlobular septae, increase in pulmonary translucency, consolidation of the non-nodular alveolar and of the nodular type, and changes in the pleural region. Although CT findings in pulmonary lesions are mainly non-specific, knowledge of the corresponding morphological basis is helpful in diagnostic evaluation.