An important radiological clue in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Diffuse pulmonary ossification.

Introduction: Diffuse pulmonary ossification (DPO) refers to the unusual formation of mature bone tissue within the lung parenchyma. It has been shown to be associated with a number of cardiac and chronic lung diseases. The relation between DPO and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has been shown in the literature. We examined DPO, which is the supporting computed tomography (CT) finding of IPF. In this way, it was aimed to distinguish cases with an IPF-like pattern non-invasively.

Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis included 89 cases exhibiting a CT pattern typical of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP). The cases were divided into two groups: One with an IPF diagnosis and the other with a nonIPF diagnosis. The presence of DPO was then assessed in each case according to the criteria outlined in the literature. Finally, the occurrence of DPO was compared between the IPF group and the non-IPF group.

Result: Forty-seven of 89 cases had a diagnosis of IPF (52.8%). DPO was observed in 31 patients (34.8%). Presence of DPO was detected in 28 (59.6%) patients in the IPF group. The presence of DPO was detected in 3 (7.1%) cases in the non-IPF UIP patient group. A moderate correlation was found between IPF and DPO, and a moderate correlation was found between IPF and the male sex (r= 0.549; r= 0.311, respectively).

Conclusions: DPO is an important finding to support the diagnosis of IPF.