The comparison of high‐resolution computed tomography findings in asbestosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

BACKGROUND: To determine whether the HRCT findings are useful to differentiate asbestosis from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). METHODS: We assessed HRCT scans from patients with asbestosis (n = 96) and IPF (n = 65). The frequencies and extent of parenchymal abnormalities and the frequencies of pleural changes were evaluated by consensus of two chest radiologists. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between IPF and asbestosis in pleural changes. In addition, there were significant differences between IPF and asbestosis in several parenchymal abnormalities on CT, especially in the less advanced stage of both diseases. On multivariate analysis, HRCT features that distinguished asbestosis from IPF were subpleural lines at a distance of less than 5 mm from the inner chest wall, subpleural dots and parenchymal bands. CONCLUSIONS: There are significant differences between IPF and asbestosis in the parenchymal and pleural abnormalities on CT.