Diagnosing Pulmonary Fibrosis

How is a diagnosis performed?

Diagnosing pulmonary fibrosis involves a combination of examinations and specialised tests. Your healthcare team may use several different investigations to assess your lung health, rule out other conditions and build a clear picture before confirming a diagnosis.

diagnosis 2

Blood test

Blood from the vein is drawn to identify antibodies

diagnosis 1

Stethoscope

'Velcro' like crackles are heard when listening to the lungs with a stethoscope

diagnosis 3

Lung function tests

Determine how well lungs function by measuring lung size and airflow in and out of the lungs

diagnosis 4

High resolution computed tomography (HRCT)

Creates detailed images of the inside of the chest and the characteristic PF pattern is shown as honeycombing

diagnosis 5

Bronchovascular lavage

A small flexible tube (bronchoscope) is used to sample cells from the lower part of the lungs (alveoli) for examination by a pathologist

diagnosis 6

Thoracoscopic lung biopsy

A thin tube is placed to extract small samples of the lung from multiple lobes for testing in a laboratory

Content acknowledgements: © 2022 by the University of Hull and Authors. A Patient's Guide to Pulmonary Fibrosis Second Edition

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