Noninfectious Granulomatous Lung Disease: Radiological Findings and Differential Diagnosis

Granulomatous lung diseases (GLDs) are a heterogeneous group of pathological entities that can have different clinical presentations and outcomes. Granulomas are histologically defined as focal aggregations of activated macrophages, Langerhans cells, and lymphocytes, and may form in the lungs when t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of personalized medicine 2024-01, Vol.14 (2), p.134
Main Authors: Lassandro, Giulia, Picchi, Stefano Giusto, Corvino, Antonio, Massimo, Candida, Tamburrini, Stefania, Vanore, Laura, Urraro, Giovanna, Russo, Giuseppe, Lassandro, Francesco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antigens
Asymptomatic
Autoimmune diseases
B cells
Biopsy
Bronchus
Computed tomography
Differential diagnosis
Granulomas
Immune system
Langerhans cells
Lavage
Lung diseases
Lymphatic system
Lymphocytes
Macrophages
Malignancy
Medical research
Medicine, Experimental
PET imaging
Pneumonia
Positron emission tomography
Pulmonary fibrosis
Sarcoidosis
Tomography
Tuberculosis
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Summary:Granulomatous lung diseases (GLDs) are a heterogeneous group of pathological entities that can have different clinical presentations and outcomes. Granulomas are histologically defined as focal aggregations of activated macrophages, Langerhans cells, and lymphocytes, and may form in the lungs when the immune system cannot eliminate a foreign antigen and attempts to barricade it. The diagnosis includes clinical evaluation, laboratory testing, and radiological imaging, which especially consists of high-resolution computed tomography. bronchoalveolar lavage, transbronchial needle aspiration or cryobiopsy, positron emission tomography, while genetic evaluation can improve the diagnostic accuracy. Differential diagnosis is challenging due to the numerous different imaging appearances with which GLDs may manifest. Indeed, GLDs include both infectious and noninfectious, and necrotizing and non-necrotizing granulomatous diseases and the imaging appearance of some GLDs may mimic malignancy, leading to confirmatory biopsy. The purposes of our review are to report the different noninfectious granulomatous entities and to show their various imaging features to help radiologists recognize them properly and make an accurate differential diagnosis.
ISSN:2075-4426
2075-4426
DOI:10.3390/jpm14020134