The presence of pulmonary parenchymal cysts on computed tomography (CT) imaging presents a significant diagnostic challenge.\nThe diverse range of possible etiologies can usually be differentiated based on the clinical setting and radiologic features. In fact, the\nadvent of high-resolution CT has facilitatedmaking a diagnosis solely on analysis of CT image patterns, thus averting the need for a\nbiopsy.While it is possible to make a fairly specific diagnosis during early stages of disease evolution by its characteristic radiological\npresentation, distinct features may progress to temporally converge into relatively nonspecific radiologic presentations sometimes\nnecessitating histological examination to make a diagnosis. The aim of this review study is to provide both the pathologist and the\nradiologist with an overview of the diseases most commonly associated with cystic lung lesions primarily in adults by illustration\nand description of pathologic and radiologic features of each entity. Brief descriptions and characteristic radiologic features of the\nvarious disease entities are included and illustrative examples are provided for the common majority of them. In this article, we\nalso classify pulmonary cystic disease with an emphasis on the pathophysiology behind cyst formation in an attempt to elucidate\nthe characteristics of similar cystic appearances seen in various disease entities.
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