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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Sep 1.
Published in final edited form as: Respir Med. 2016 Jul 28;118:88–95. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2016.07.016

Figure 3. Two-Stage IPF Diagnosis Method.

Figure 3

Presented is an algorithm that could be applied when determining the diagnosis in a patient with suspected fibrosing ILD. During Stage One clinical and radiologic data are reviewed in the context of current guidelines for diagnosis of IPF and other ILDs.[1, 1010] When the probability of IPF is felt to be high after review of clinical and radiologic data, the diagnosis is confirmed. If the probability of IPF is not high, the treating physician considers the utility and feasibility of a surgical biopsy to review at Stage Two. If a biopsy is obtained it is reviewed in a multidisciplinary setting to confirm the final diagnosis of IPF or other ILD.