Transthoracic ultrasound in the evaluation of pulmonary fibrosis – our experience

Aim: To evaluate the possible contribution of transthoracic ultrasound (US) in the diagnosis of mild, moderate and severe pulmonary fibrosis. Material and methods: We evaluated 108 patients (pts) (46 females and 72 males, mean age 61yrs) affected by pulmonary fibrosis. In 66/108 cases fibrosis was idiopathic, in 4/108 it was associated with reumatoid arthritits, in 33/108 with systemic sclerosis, in 4/108 with mixed connective tissue disease and in 1/108 with LES. Disease severity was classified as mild, moderate or severe based on traditional methods of diagnosis: clinical findings, pulmonary function tests (lu…