Advanced Mutidimensional and Ultra High Resolution Computed Tomography to Inspect Cardiopulmonary Involvement in Progressive Fibrosing Interstitial Lung Diseases

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are common chronic disease characterized by high mortality and morbidity, also linked to cardiovascular implication. Cardiovascular complications, occur early in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other ILDs without anysymptoms. Symptoms are often misinterpreted and diagnosis delayed to irreversible stages of cardiac dysfunction. Mechanism of cardiac damage, the main cause of mortality, are heterogeneous raging from ischemic heart disease, acceleration of atherosclerosis, to right ventricle dysfunction secondary, to pulmonary hypertension. So an early recognition and accurate staging are fundamental to avoid disease progression and improve outcomes. The identification of a single non-invasive imaging modality able to simultaneously characterize in an accurate and quantitative way the entity of lung and cardiac damage in patients affected by ILD would be useful to improve risk stratification and to guide treatment.