[4] As HRCT's aim is to assess a generalized lung disease, the test is conventionally performed by taking thin sections which are 10–40 mm apart from each other.

The technique of HRCT was developed with relatively slow CT scanners, which did not make use of multi-detector (MDCT) technology.

Other miscellaneous conditions where HRCT is useful include lymphangitis carcinomatosa, fungal, or other atypical, infections, chronic pulmonary vascular disease, lymphangioleiomyomatosis, and sarcoidosis.

[14] Under HRCT scan, infected individuals generally showed a multifocal or unifocal involvement of ground-glass opacity (GGO).

Distribution and appearance allow understanding of the disease process relative to the secondary lobule of the lung, the smallest anatomic unit with surrounding connective tissue, usually 1–2 cm across.

Sarcoidosis, lymphangitic spread of carcinoma, silicosis, coal worker's pneumoconiosis, and more rare diagnoses such as lymphoid interstitial pneumonitis and amyloidosis are included in the differential.

For randomly distributed nodules, the differential includes miliary tuberculosis, fungal pneumonia, hematogenous metastasis and diffuse sarcoidosis.

The lung bases are often inconsistent in appearance in patients due to the potential for atelectasis causing positional ground glass or consolidative opacities.

When the patient is positioned prone, or on their belly, the lung bases can expand further and help distinguish atelectasis from early fibrosis.

In patients with normal chest radiographs, prone scans have been found useful in 17% of cases, particularly in excluding posterior lung abnormalities.