High-resolution CT (HRCT) is a technique developed over the last decade. It optimises spatial resolution and provides details similar to those obtainable from gross pathologic specimens. HRCT of the lungs provides an accurate assessment of the pattern and distribution of many disease processes that in the conventional chest radiograph are occult or non-specific. HRCT is an established technique and the method of choice for evaluating a variety of pulmonary diseases. In this review we describe the modifications in CT technique that are instrumental in obtaining HRCT, and we also give examples of normal and pathologic findings in general.