Early identification of Usual Interstitial Pneumonia (UIP) and diagnosis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) remains a significant challenge in pulmonary medicine. Despite advances in imaging and clinical awareness, the process still requires specialized training and experience that isn’t always readily available—especially in non-urban or resource-limited healthcare settings. This gap can delay diagnosis which critically impacts patient outcomes.
In a recent interview hosted by Brian Casey, editor at The Imaging Wire, Dr. Chung, a leading thoracic radiologist, offers valuable perspective on the complexities associated with UIP identification and the essential role of expert interpretation to achieve accurate diagnoses.
Watch the full interview here: Expert Interview: AI and the Challenge of Diagnosing UIP & IPF
The Expertise Gap in Interstitial Lung Disease
UIP identification is a subtle, complex assessment—even on high-resolution imaging like CT. Dr. Chung emphasizes that even experienced radiologists benefit from sub-specialty thoracic training to confidently identify UIP patterns, highlight red flags, and initiate the right care pathway. However, many hospitals and clinics around the world may not have access to board-certified thoracic radiologists, leaving a crucial gap in patient care.
How AI is Bridging the Diagnostic Divide
Realizing the need for scalable solutions, 4DMedical developed IQ-UIP™—an innovative, AI-powered tool that brings expert-level support to care settings. Developed and validated by leading thoracic radiologists, IQ-UIP™ automates the identification of UIP patterns from CT scans, enabling healthcare professionals to access advanced diagnostic insight whether or not a thoracic radiology sub-specialist is available onsite.
Scalable, Low Dose CT Screening
In addition to its diagnostic capabilities, IQ-UIP™ leverages low dose CT protocols—making routine, large-scale screening and early detection of pulmonary fibrosis more practical than ever before. This opens new possibilities for population health screening, identifying at-risk individuals earlier, and introducing intervention earlier—when a patient can most benefit from treatment.
Accelerating Lung Health Assessment
IQ-UIP™ is built on the collective expertise of thoracic radiologist specialists, whose expert interpretation and guidance were central to training and developing the AI model. This collaborative approach ensures that the AI delivers high-quality, reliable support to clinicians, advancing the accuracy and consistency of pulmonary diagnostics. Watch the full conversation with Dr. Chung and Brian Casey: Watch on YouTube