Thoracic Sarcoidosis

Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation

Abstract Introduction Clinical Features Pathologic Features

Staging Radiologic Characteristics Complications Extrapulmonary Thoracic Manifestations

Differential Diagnosis Treatment and Prognosis Source Information References

Introduction

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disease of unknown etiology with variable presentation, prognosis, and progression. Most patients present with the classic combination of bilateral hilar adenopathy, parenchymal disease of the lung, and eye or skin lesions; however, virtually any organ in the body may be involved.

The term sarcoid (sarcoma-like) was first coined by Caesar Boeck in 1899 to describe one of the skin lesions of sarcoidosis because of its histologic resemblance to a sarcoma. In 1905, Boeck described a series of patients with sarcoid cough and nasal granulomas, findings that suggested the systemic nature of the disease (1). In 1915, Kusnitski and Bittorf described chest radiographic abnormalities in a patient with sarcoid lesions (1). Today, sarcoidosis is defined by the Subcommittee on Classification and Definition of Sarcoidosis of the New York Academy of Sciences as "...a multisystem granulomatous disorder of unknown etiology commonly affecting young adults and presenting most frequently with bilateral lymphadenopathy, pulmonary infiltration, and skin or eye lesions. The diagnosis is established most securely when clinico-radiographic findings are supported by histologic evidence of widespread non-caseating epithelioid cell granulomas in more than one organ or a positive Kveim-Stiltzbach skin test" (2).

In this article, the clinical, pathologic, and radiologic manifestations of sarcoidosis are discussed with emphasis on thoracic imaging and radiologic-pathologic correlation.

Abstract Introduction Clinical Features Pathologic Features

Staging Radiologic Characteristics Complications Extrapulmonary Thoracic Manifestations

Differential Diagnosis Treatment and Prognosis Source Information References