“…Although
honeycombing is an indicator of poor prognosis (2) , the main marker of unfavorable evolution is the extent of the
disease, which, when combined with the deterioration of lung function, best defines the
prognosis (1) . The absence of
findings consistent with fibrosis in the initial HRCT of patients with SSc is highly
predictive of a "fibrosis-free" follow-up HRCT, whereas a finding of more than 20%
fibrosis in the initial exam is associated with a high annual fibrosis progression rate,
a decline in lung function, and the development of pulmonary arterial
hypertension (3) .…”