Sonographic Assessment of Interstitial Lung Disease in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Systemic Sclerosis and Systemic Lupus Erythematodes

Introduction/Aims: The usefulness of transthoracic ultrasound in the evaluation of lung diseases has been highlighted in the past decades. We describe variable lung ultrasound patterns in an observational series of patients with RA, SLE and SSc. Patients and methods: A sample of 45 consecutive patients with RA (n=25) SSc (n=14) and SLE (n=6) was enrolled into the study and every study patient underwent both lung sonography and HRCT. The following ultrasound findings were documented in each study patient: comet-tail artifacts, subpleural nodes and thickenings of the pleural line. HRCT was analyzed by an experienc…