Study Syllabus for Classification of Radiographs of Pneumoconioses

Clinical Overview

Central Role of Diagnostic Imaging

Table 1: Radiologic patterns of lung disease associated with occupational exposures on chest radiograph and chest CT.

Table 1: Radiologic patterns of lung disease associated with occupational exposures on chest radiograph and chest CT.
Pattern Common occupational diseases or exposures Differential diagnosis
Small rounded opacities Coal worker’s pneumoconiosis
Silicosis
Other pneumoconiosis (talcosis, stannosis, etc.)
Chronic beryllium disease
Sarcoidosis
Chronic mycobacterial or fungal infection
Large opacities Coal worker’s pneumoconiosis
Silicosis
Chronic beryllium disease
Sarcoidosis, malignancy (if unilateral)
Chronic mycobacterial or fungal infection
Small irregular opacities (reticular) Asbestosis
Coal worker’s pneumoconiosis
Silicosis
Chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis
Idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, usual interstitial pneumonia)
Collagen vascular disease
Smoking-related lung disease
Ground-glass opacity Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
Acute or subacute inhalational lung injury
Hard metal pneumoconiosis
Chronic beryllium disease
Smoking-related lung disease
Drug toxicity
Pulmonary hemorrhage
Aspiration
Consolidation Acute or accelerated silicosis
Acute or subacute lung injury
Infection
Pulmonary hemorrhage
Malignancy
Organizing pneumonia
Aspiration
Bronchial wall thickening Acute or subacute toxic fume
Inhalation
Occupational bronchitis
Occupational asthma
Bronchitis
Asthma
Emphysema Silicosis
Coal worker’s pneumoconiosis
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
Smoking-related lung disease
Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
Mosaic attenuation/air trapping Bronchiolitis from toxic fume or chemical inhalation (eg, flavoring chemicals) Obliterative bronchiolitis related to collagen vascular disease, previous infection, etc.
Pleural thickening/plaques Asbestosis Infection, trauma, neoplasm