High Resolution CT in Respiratory Bronchiolitis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease

Abstract

High-resolution CT findings have been described for several diffuse lung diseases. Respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease (RB-ILD) is an inflammatory lung disorder associated with cigarette smoking. This condition has only recently been described and distinguished from desquamative interstitial pneumonitis, which it closely resembles. We describe high-resolution CT findings in five cases of biopsy-proven RB-ILD. The findings are variable and range from no detectable abnormality to atelectasis, ground-glass opacities, emphysema, and linear and reticular interstitial abnormalities.