Sarcoidosis is a complicated type of interstitial lung disease (ILD) that can affect multiple organ systems. It typically impacts the lungs but can also damage the heart, skin, joints, brain and kidneys. Sarcoidosis of the lung can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are the same as those of other conditions.
If you or a loved one might have lung sarcoidosis, it's important to see a team with the experience to diagnose the disease accurately. As a world leader in the field, the Penn ILD and Sarcoidosis Program offers expert sarcoidosis diagnosis and leading-edge treatments.
Pulmonary Sarcoidosis Diagnosis: Why Choose Penn Medicine
When you come to Penn for sarcoidosis diagnosis, you see a team with leading expertise in this complicated condition. Our patients receive accurate and detailed diagnoses, leading to the most effective personalized lung sarcoidosis treatment. When you choose Penn, you'll find:
- Expert diagnosis: Our team only treats ILD and sarcoidosis. We see these conditions every day, so we recognize the signs. We combine the most advanced imaging tools with our deep experience to get you an accurate diagnosis.
- Minimally invasive techniques: In most patients, sarcoidosis diagnosis is based on a biopsy. We always work to find the least invasive location to biopsy. Our expert interventional pulmonologists use advanced technology for the safest, fastest biopsy and diagnosis.
- Multidisciplinary team: It takes a team to diagnose pulmonary sarcoidosis. At Penn, pulmonologists, chest radiologists, lung pathologists and nurses who specialize in sarcoidosis work together on the details of your case to ensure you get the right diagnosis.
- Network of specialists: Pulmonary sarcoidosis doesn't only impact the lungs. When it affects other body systems, you need multiple specialists to coordinate your care. Penn's extensive network ensures you have access to any other expert you might need. We collaborate closely with the world-class Abramson Cancer Center, Penn Heart and Vascular Center and Penn Transplant Institute.
Tests to Diagnose Sarcoidosis of the Lung: What to Expect
During your initial visit, your care team will ask questions about your medical history, family history and symptoms. Then, your sarcoidosis specialist may order some tests.
Bloodwork
Many things can cause inflammation in your lungs, including infections, chemical exposure or autoimmune conditions. Blood tests can help your team identify if any of these is causing your symptoms.
High-Resolution Chest Scans
At Penn, we use the most advanced imaging technology to take detailed pictures inside your chest. These scans provide clear images that show the location and severity of sarcoidosis inflammation. Our team has extensive expertise interpreting scans for signs of sarcoidosis. They can often make a sarcoidosis diagnosis without surgical biopsy.
- Positron emission tomography (PET): For PET, a radioactive sugar is injected into your bloodstream. A special camera scans your body and tracks the substance as it flows through your organs. This test is especially helpful in showing whether sarcoidosis is affecting your heart.
- Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): This noninvasive test uses a magnetic field and radiofrequency waves to create detailed pictures of the inside of your chest, and is particularly helpful identifying heart involvement of sarcoidosis.
Pulmonary Function Tests
To measure how well your lungs are working, your team may perform lung function tests (pulmonary function tests) to diagnose sarcoidosis, such as:
- Exercise test: During this pulmonary function test, you walk at your normal pace for six minutes. Your heart rate, oxygen saturation, and blood pressure, and the distance you walked are all recorded
- Spirometry and diffusion capacity: This test measures how much air you can breathe and how easily and quickly you can blow the air out. Your team will ask you to exhale into a tube connected to a machine.
Lung Biopsy
If we can't diagnose lung sarcoidosis from imaging and other tests, you will need a biopsy. In this procedure, your doctor takes a small sample of tissue. We select the least invasive place to biopsy, which can be the skin, lymph node, or lung. A pathologist specializing in sarcoidosis diagnosis looks at the sample for signs of disease.
If you do require a lung biopsy, we use the least invasive method possible to avoid complications and keep you more comfortable.
- Bronchoscopy: For this procedure, an expert interventional pulmonologist guides a thin, flexible tube through your mouth or nose and into your lung to collect a tiny sample of tissue from the right area by using advanced guidance techniques if needed. You are under sedation during the procedure to keep you comfortable.
- Surgical biopsy: To get a larger piece of tissue, your team may recommend surgery. While you are under anesthesia, your surgeon makes several small incisions in your chest near your lungs. He or she then guides a surgical instrument and camera into your lung to remove a tissue sample.
Electrocardiogram
Your doctor also may order an electrocardiogram to measure the electrical activity of your heart. This will determine whether sarcoidosis is causing heart damage.
Make an Appointment
Please call 800-789-7366 or request a callback.