Radiological Assessment Of Interstitial Lung Diseases: A Comparative Analysis Of Hrct And Mri Techniques

Abstract

Background: systemic cop & interstitial lung diseases (ilds) are broadly defined subgroups of inflammatory and fibrotic lung disorders. before the development of uip pattern, the gold-standard test for the evaluation of ILD has been the High-Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT), which allows detailed imaging of the lung tissue. However, MRI seems to be a radiation-free technique that is gradually gaining patronage to offer complementary functional and structural information. It is crucial to look for the best approaches and make some comparisons between the two so as to ensure that the patients get the right diagnosis as well as avoiding their compromise.
Objectives: In order to define the place of HRCT and MRI in diagnosing interstitial lung diseases with regard to the image quality, sensitivity, and safety of patients.
Study design: A retrospective study.
Place and duration of study. Department of pulmonology MTI lady reading hospital Peshawar from jan 2022 to March 2022
Methods: For this analysis the patient records of 200 ILD patients were reviewed in the retrospective manner. In this regard, the diagnostic accuracy and image quality, as well as lesion characterization, of HRCT and MRI scans were assessed by two radiologists. Intra and interobserver reliability was calculated by using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient with 95% confidence intervals for continuous variables and Mc Nemar’s test for categorical variables while diagnostic results were compared using Student t test for parametric and Chi square test for non parametric variables.
Results: The study included 200 patients (mean age: 55.4 years, SD: ±12.7). For fibrotic patterns HRCT revealed better spatial resolution compared with the DLCO (p<0.001). MRI was more useful in depict functional imaging required and also depicted vascular abnormalities more comprehensively. Interobserver variance co-efficient for HRCT scan was 0.87 and for MRI was 0.80. Accuracy on a per lesion basis for HRCT was 93% sensitivity and 90% specificity The MRI achieved 85% sensitivity and 88% specificity. MRIs were preferred by patients because no radiation was used in the procedure.
Conclusion: While for the structural evaluation in ILD, there is no better modality than the HRCT and for functional evaluation MRI does not expose to radiation. Coordination of these approaches may increase the reliability of differential diagnostics and minimize risks in the treatment of ILD.