High resolution computed tomography is a technique used to image various types of lung pathology. A very narrow beam collimation is applied to the tissue to capture thin slice images of the lung parenchyma. X-rays are essentially used to see within the tissue and create a 3-D image of it, slice by thin slice, just as is with micro-CT. Here, however, the silvers are extremely thin, resulting in the super high definition images necessary to model airways, lung alveoli, interstitium and pulmonary vasculature. These images can be critical to identify air-trapping in lung disease patients before complications ensue.
When is High resolution CT used?
When patients show indications of chronic diffuse lung disease, HRCT can be deployed under the following circumstances:
- To assess disease activity
- In case of indications of lung cancer to locate an optimal biopsy site
- When CXR findings and/or symptoms are non specific, to try to zero in on a more specific diagnosis.
- When patients show normal or equivocal plain CXR also show symptoms of pulmonary function assay results indicative of diffuse lung disease.
What is high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT)?
In addition, HRCT can also be deployed in a variety of other, less common, circumstances, such as industrial lung disease, connective tissue disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, diffuse metastatic disease, radiation induced lung disease, mycobacterial infection, bronchio-alveolar carcinoma, sarcoidosis, infections in patients who are immunocompromised, interstitial pneumonitis, hypersensitivity, Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP), Bronchiectasis, pneumonitides, Lymphangiomyomatosis, Histiocytosis X, Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP).
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