Verfestigungsverlauf

Verfestigungsverlauf is a medical descriptor used to describe how tissue changes become denser and harder over time. It is not a disease itself but a way to characterize the evolution of a process such as inflammation, fibrosis, calcification, or desmoplastic reaction around a lesion.

The term is commonly used in radiology and pathology to document progression or stabilization of an abnormality. In the lungs, inflammatory or fibrotic processes may show increasing density and structural distortion over time, indicating a Verfestigungsverlauf toward fibrosis. In oncology, a desmoplastic reaction around a tumor can lead to progressive hardening of the tumor margin. In bone healing, fracture repair may display progressive sclerosis as the callus forms and matures.

Assessment relies on serial imaging—computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or ultrasound—to track changes in density, signal characteristics, and architecture. Histopathology can confirm the underlying remodeling, such as fibrosis, calcification, or ossification, when needed.

Clinically, the Verfestigungsverlauf informs prognosis and management by indicating chronicity, response to therapy, or progression. A rapid or extensive Verfestigungsverlauf may reflect aggressive scarring or advanced fibrotic disease, while stabilization or regression can signal a favorable response. Clinicians must distinguish true progression of hardening from residual or recurrent disease, particularly in cancer patients.

Examples include pulmonary fibrosis after infection or inflammation, progressive liver cirrhosis with architectural changes, desmoplastic stroma around pancreatic tumors, and advancing callus sclerosis during fracture healing.