Radiological diagnosis of thoracic sarcoidosis

Objective:To evaluate the radiological features of thoracic sarcoidosis and to discuss the diagnostic value.Methods:Imaging examination of 23 cases with thoracic sarcoidosis including chest radiography,CT and their clinical data were reviewed,the final diagnosis was made by pathology(11 cases) and clinical therapy(12 cases).Results:1stage: 10 cases of them presented mediastinal lymph node enlargement associated with bilateral hilar lymph node enlargement.2of them had mediastinal lymph node enlargement and unilateral hilar lymph node enlargement.The chest radiography accuracy of sarcoidosis is similar to the CT,it is 83%.Ⅱstage: 9 cases of them presented pulmonary abnormalities and associated with mediastinal lymph node and bilateral hilar lymph node enlargement.Ⅲ stage: 1 cases presented pulmonary fibrosis.The accuracy of chest radiography is 46%,the accuracy of the CT is 57%.There has significant difference between the two groups(P0.05).Conclusion:The diagnosis of sarcoidosis is based on chest radiography and it is useful for clinical treatment.CT,especially HRCT,plays an important role in improving accuracy of sarcoidosis.