Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Apr;7(2):e240294.
doi: 10.1148/ryct.240294.

Multimodality Imaging for the Diagnosis and Evaluation of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis

Affiliations
Review

Multimodality Imaging for the Diagnosis and Evaluation of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis

Romulo A Pasini et al. Radiol Cardiothorac Imaging. 2025 Apr.

Abstract

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem inflammatory disorder characterized by noncaseating granulomas. The diagnosis of sarcoidosis is based on three criteria: clinical history, consistent imaging findings, and histopathology. Radiologists play an important role for the diagnosis and follow-up evaluation of patients with sarcoidosis, which often require a multimodal approach. This imaging essay will explore the typical and atypical imaging manifestations of sarcoidosis at chest radiography, CT, PET/CT, and MRI, provide imaging examples, and discuss relevant differential diagnoses for clinical practice. Keywords: Thorax, MR-Imaging, Staging, PET/CT, CT, Conventional Radiography, Sarcoidosis, Thoracic Imaging, Scintigraphy Supplemental material is available for this article. © RSNA, 2025.

Keywords: CT; Conventional Radiography; MR-Imaging; PET/CT; Sarcoidosis; Scintigraphy; Staging; Thoracic Imaging; Thorax.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures of conflicts of interest: R.A.P. No relevant relationships. M.A.Z.A. National Institutes of Health grant UL1TR001427, American Heart Association Grant 24SCEFIA1253259, and Bristol Myers Squibb CME and QI grant 150208980; support for attending meetings and/or travel from Abiomed and American College of Cardiology. S.A. No relevant relationships. J.D.P. No relevant relationships. B.M. Grants from National Institutes of Health (R01AI135128, R01HL169974) and W.M. Keck Foundation Medical Research Grant (994413). E.M. No relevant relationships. D.P. No relevant relationships. M.Z. No relevant relationships. T.L.M. No relevant relationships. M.M. No relevant relationships. I.T.G. No relevant relationships. J.S.G. No relevant relationships. B.H. No relevant relationships.

References

    1. Crouser ED , Maier LA , Wilson KC , et al. . Diagnosis and Detection of Sarcoidosis. An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline . Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020. ; 201 ( 8 ): e26 – e51 . - PMC - PubMed
    1. Valeyre D , Prasse A , Nunes H , Uzunhan Y , Brillet PY , Müller-Quernheim J . Sarcoidosis . Lancet 2014. ; 383 ( 9923 ): 1155 – 1167 . - PubMed
    1. Mathijssen H , Huitema MP , Bakker ALM , et al. . Clinical Phenotypes of Sarcoidosis-Associated Pulmonary Hypertension . Heart Lung Circ 2021. ; 30 ( 10 ): 1502 – 1508 . - PubMed
    1. Nunes H , Uzunhan Y , Gille T , Lamberto C , Valeyre D , Brillet PY . Imaging of sarcoidosis of the airways and lung parenchyma and correlation with lung function . Eur Respir J 2012. ; 40 ( 3 ): 750 – 765 . - PubMed
    1. Sider L , Horton ES Jr . Hilar and mediastinal adenopathy in sarcoidosis as detected by computed tomography . J Thorac Imaging 1990. ; 5 ( 2 ): 77 – 80 . - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources