lung and airway disorders
Nonspecific Interstitial Pneumonia
Diagnosis of Nonspecific Interstitial Pneumonia
Chest computed tomography Lung biopsy As with other idiopathic interstitial pneumonias, chest x-rays and computed tomography (CT) are done. Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) usually shows that the amount of air the lungs can hold is below normal. The amount of oxygen in the blood is often low at rest and is even lower during exercise. Doctors sometimes do Bronchoscopy and wash segments of the lung with a salt-water solution and then collect the washings (bronchoalveolar lavage) for testing. More than half of people have more lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) than normal in the washings. Lung biopsy is often needed to confirm the diagnosis. 