Expert intuition vs. Algorithmic clustering: Mapping radiological subtypes in pulmonary sarcoidosis

Background

Pulmonary sarcoidosis is a heterogeneous granulomatous disease with a broad spectrum of clinical and radiological manifestations. While the traditional Scadding classification based on chest radiography remains a cornerstone of disease staging, it provides limited information regarding parenchymal involvement and poorly correlates with functional impairment. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) offers superior sensitivity in detecting subtle and early interstitial changes, yet standardized HRCT-based classification systems for sarcoidosis remain underdeveloped.