[Roentgenological morphology and clinical signs for the differential diagnosis of pulmonary fibroses (author's transl)].

The clinician usually determines the measures to be taken on the basis of clear symptomatics represented by more or less pronounced cyanosis. The author is able to show that the negative roentgenogram is not a reliable means of excluding pulmonary fibrosis, in contrast to functional pulmonary studies. If breathing physiology is normal and the roentgenogram does not reveal any abnormal findings, further invasive procedure will not be required. However, if functional investigations are positive and indicate a diffuse pulmonary disease, then our criteria point to open pulmonary biopsy, since prognosis and possible causal treatment largely depend on the histology.