MRI in interstitial lung disease (M-ILD): a momentum to innovate lung diagnostic

The prevalence of interstitial lung disease (ILD) is high and progressively increasing.1 Mortality and morbidity vary according to ILD subtype, but overall median survival is poor, ranging from 5 to 14 years.2 Irrespective of classification and cause of lung fibrosis, several patients present with progressive-fibrosing ILD (PF-ILD), characterised by a rapid decline in lung function.3 A recent landmark study demonstrated a reduction in PF-ILD disease progression using costly antifibrotic drugs.4 However, half of patients with ILD do not benefit from these expensive antifibrotic drugs but could be better treated with anti-inflammatory or combined treatment. Hence, there is an unmet need for a monitoring tool to phenotype patients with ILD by assessing the amount of pulmonary fibrosis and inflammation to guide treatment choices and monitor response.3 Current monitoring, namely, high-resolution CT (HRCT) and pulmonary function …