Chest Imaging

Interstitial pulmonary fibrosis

a pulmonary fibrosis which predominantly involves the lung interstitium, and is generally associated with diffuse lung diseases that result in fibroblast proliferation or production of dense acellular collagen. Fibrosis involves the interstitial compartments surrounding the bronchi and arteries (peribronchovascular interstitium) and the veins, interlobular septa, and alveolar walls. Organization of intraalveolar exudates, and incorporation of these into the alveolar wall, as occurs in usual interstitial pneumonia or fibrosing alveolitis, is also considered interstitial fibrosis. Honeycombing is a common result of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (V:1), Fig. 1).

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