Jiang SY, Su KX, Pang CF, Tang YQ, Xiang YJ, Han J, He YL, Li R. High-resolution computed tomography assessment of connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease: Advances in diagnosis and prognostic evaluation. World J Radiol 2026; 18(9): 125041 [DOI: 10.4329/wjr.125041]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Rui Li, MD, Professor, Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Maoyuan South Road, Shunqing District, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China. ddtwg_nsmc@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
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review-article
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Jiang SY, Su KX, Pang CF, Tang YQ, Xiang YJ, Han J, He YL, Li R. High-resolution computed tomography assessment of connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease: Advances in diagnosis and prognostic evaluation. World J Radiol 2026; 18(9): 125041 [DOI: 10.4329/wjr.125041]
World J Radiol. Sep 28, 2026; 18(9): 125041 Published online Sep 28, 2026. doi: 10.4329/wjr.125041
High-resolution computed tomography assessment of connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease: Advances in diagnosis and prognostic evaluation
Si-Yu Jiang, Kai-Xiang Su, Cai-Feng Pang, Yu-Qing Tang, Yu-Jie Xiang, Ju Han, Yong-Long He, Rui Li
Si-Yu Jiang, Kai-Xiang Su, Cai-Feng Pang, Yu-Qing Tang, Yu-Jie Xiang, Ju Han, Rui Li, Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China
Yong-Long He, Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China
Co-first authors: Si-Yu Jiang and Kai-Xiang Su.
Author contributions: Jiang SY, Su KX and Li R contributed to the design of the review; Jiang SY and Su KX contributed to the performing of the literature search and the drafting of the manuscript; Li R and He YL contributed to the manuscript revision; Li R contributed to the supervision of the work; Pang CF, Tang YQ, Xiang YJ, and Han J contributed to collecting and organizing the relevant literature, and contributed to the preparation of figures and tables; He YL contributed to the clinical interpretation of connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease. Jiang SY and Su KX contributed equally to this work as co-first authors.
AI contribution statement: The authors declare that no AI tools were used in the development or writing of this manuscript and take full responsibility for its integrity, accuracy, and originality.
Supported by Sichuan Medical Association Medical Research Projects, No. S20250027; and the Health Commission of the Sichuan Province Medical Science and Technology Program, No. 24WXXT10.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Rui Li, MD, Professor, Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Maoyuan South Road, Shunqing District, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China. ddtwg_nsmc@163.com
Received: July 1, 2026 Revised: August 26, 2026 Accepted: September 24, 2026 Published online: September 28, 2026 Processing time: 92 Days and 11.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This narrative review summarizes current advances in high-resolution computed tomography (CT)-based assessment of connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease across diagnosis, prognostic assessment, and longitudinal monitoring. Visual interpretation and semiquantitative scoring remain the established foundation of clinical practice, whereas quantitative CT provides an emerging objective adjunct. Radiomics, machine learning, and deep learning offer promising capabilities but remain predominantly investigational. We propose a layered, complementary framework that reflects current clinical readiness rather than a validated clinical pathway and highlight key priorities for future translation, including standardization, reproducibility, multicenter validation, harmonized endpoints, and demonstration of clinical utility.
