Characterisation of radiological imaging biomarkers for the identifications of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) for developing countries

摘要

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are group of nonspecific diseases and can lead to progressive chronic respiratory complications. Clinical and causative features of ILDs are unclear, therefore, major issues in ILD treatment is misdiagnosis and extensive time duration. In current ILD diagnosis, chest X-ray (CXR) is the most inexpensive and initial detection technique. Accuracy and specificity of ILD diagnosis through analysis of CXR patterns is a major concern. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), providing the most suitable radiological imaging technique for revealing lung structure changes, is mainly used for ILD diagnosis in developing countries. Recent analyses have indicated that the use of biomarkers can accelerate earlier diagnoses, monitoring of disease and responses to treatment. Wide adaptation and advancement in the HRCT imaging techniques offer inspiring opportunities for the development and validation of lung-imaging specific biomarkers for endpoint disease diagnosis. In this paper, we have proposed imaging based biomarkers for ILD detection and prognosis. This paper also discussed the concepts and important considerations of imaging biomarkers and challenges in general practice adaptations.