DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF HIGH-RESOLUTION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN THE EARLY DETECTION OF INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASES: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILD) represent a heterogeneous group of conditions affecting the pulmonary parenchyma, often presenting with an insidious course and delayed diagnosis, which negatively impacts prognosis and available therapeutic options. High-Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) has been consolidated, over recent decades, as the imaging method of choice for the evaluation of ILDs, overcoming the limitations of conventional radiography and reducing the need for invasive procedures such as surgical lung biopsy. This study constitutes a systematic literature review aimed at analyzing the diagnostic accuracy of HRCT in the early detection of ILDs, with emphasis on initial radiological patterns, acquisition technical parameters, and comparison with reference diagnostic methods. The search was conducted in the PubMed, SciELO, and Cochrane Library databases, covering publications between 2015 and 2025, in Portuguese and English, following PRISMA guidelines. Results demonstrate sensitivity ranging from 78% to 96% and specificity between 72% and 94% for HRCT in identifying early findings such as ground-glass opacities, reticulation, and traction bronchiolectasis. Comparative analysis with surgical lung biopsy revealed diagnostic agreement exceeding 85% for Usual Interstitial Pneumonia (UIP) and Organizing Pneumonia (OP) patterns. It is concluded that HRCT, especially when employed with thin-slice protocols and iterative reconstruction, constitutes a high-accuracy diagnostic tool for early detection of ILDs, with promising prospects for improvement through integration with Artificial Intelligence and radiomic tools.