RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the capabilities of computed tomography (CT) in revealing the anatomic causes of restrictive lung changes in patients with pulmonary histiocytosis X. SUBJECT AND METHODS: The results of examining 36 patients with pulmonary histiocytosis X, who underwent comprehensive functional study of external respiration (CRSER), CT, and high-performance CT (HPCT), were analyzed. RESULTS: According to the results of CRSER, the authors identified a group of patients with restrictive ventilation disorders, which included 7 men and 1 woman. The most common cause of restrictive disorders was generalized fibrous changes in lung tissue, which fails to result in its expansion. Multiple cysts were another cause of restrictive disorders in 2 patients. Fusion of individual cysts into large ones and the formation of a great number of paradoxically ventilated cysts were the third cause of restrictive disorders in pulmonary histiocytosis X, which was identified during HPCT. CONCLUSION: Comprehensive morphofunctional examination involving CRSER and high-resolution CT can reveal the unfavorable course of pulmonary histiocytosis X with the restrictive type of lesion.
