Recent Advances in Quantitative Computerized Tomography and Home Spirometry for Diagnosing and Monitoring of Interstitial Lung Disease Associated with Connective Tissue Diseases: A Narrative Review

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with connective tissue diseases (CTDs), and it remains a challenge for rheumatologists in terms of diagnosis and monitoring. Although various imaging techniques and functional and laboratory tests have been used for identifying and assessing progression in ILD, high-resolution computerized tomography and pulmonary function tests remain the main tools for this purpose. Several advances have been developed in the past years, including automated analysis and quantification of lung abnormalities in chest computerized tomography and portable spirometry, which may improve the diagnosis and follow-up of these patients. The aim of this study is to review recent advances in quantitative computerized tomography of lung and portable spirometry in ILD associated with CTDs.