Histopathologic approach to the surgical lung biopsy in interstitial lung disease
Kirk D Jones1, Anatoly Urisman
1Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0102, USA. kirk.jones@ucsf.edu
Insights
Diagnosing interstitial lung disease (ILD) requires careful interpretation of lung biopsy results. Pathologists must correlate histologic findings with clinical and radiologic data for accurate nonneoplastic lung disease diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Pathology
- Radiology
Background:
- Interstitial lung disease (ILD) diagnosis relies heavily on lung biopsy interpretation.
- Nonneoplastic lung diseases often require multidisciplinary correlation beyond histology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a foundational guide for clinicians evaluating lung biopsy specimens for interstitial lung disease.
- To outline the essential questions addressed during the histologic evaluation of diffuse infiltrative lung disease.
Main Methods:
- Review of the diagnostic process for surgical lung biopsies in interstitial lung disease.
- Emphasis on the integration of histopathology with clinical and radiological findings.
Main Results:
- Accurate ILD diagnosis necessitates correlating biopsy findings with patient's clinical presentation and imaging.
- Histologic evaluation is a critical, but not sole, component in diagnosing diffuse infiltrative lung disease.
Conclusions:
- This article serves as an introductory resource for the histologic assessment of lung diseases.
- Clinicians should integrate multiple data sources for comprehensive ILD diagnosis.
Abstract:
Interpretation of lung biopsy specimens is an integral part in the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD). The process of evaluating a surgical lung biopsy for disease involves answering several questions. Unlike much of surgical pathology of neoplastic lung disease, arriving at the correct diagnosis in nonneoplastic lung disease often requires correlation with clinical and radiologic findings. The topic of ILD or diffuse infiltrative lung disease covers several hundred entities. This article is meant to be a launching point in the clinician's approach to the histologic evaluation of lung disease.
