CT features of diffuse lung disease in infancy

Diffuse lung disease in infancy includes a wide range of very rare and peculiar pulmonary conditions usually not seen in older children, in whom diffuse lung disease has much greater overlap with adult disorders. The acronym chILD (childhood Interstitial Lung Disease) commonly defines these disorders, although air spaces, airways, alveolar epithelium, vasculature, pleura, and pleural spaces can also be involved, besides the pulmonary interstitium. chILD can be caused by diffuse developmental disorders, alveolar growth abnormalities, surfactant dysfunction disorders, and other specific conditions of poorly understood etiology. Chest CT imaging studies play a pivotal role in the evaluation of chILD. In some conditions CT findings can be specific, and thus make it possible avoiding further testing. In other disorders, findings are nonspecific, although they may suggest a diagnostic pattern and guide further testing. Nevertheless, chILD disorders often remain unrecognized on imaging studies, as they are very rare. The aim of this article is to review the CT patterns of lung involvement in a series of infants with chILD.