Advances in radiology for interstitial lung disease.

Recently, with radiology some advances have been made in the care of patients with interstitial lung disease, predominately through the use of high-resolution computed tomography. This technique is helpful not only in the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease, but also in patient follow-up and management. Other techniques, including nuclear medicine and magnetic resonance imaging, have limited but well-defined uses. Positron emission tomography is a promising nuclear medicine technique, but its benefits have not been substantiated in the literature.