The authors report 3 new cases of myositis associated with pulmonary lesions that preceded or succeeded the muscular disorder. In one of these cases, which was particularly difficult to diagnose, the patient's serum was positive for the anti-Jo1 antibody. These 3 cases have encouraged the authors to review the literature with particular attention to the diagnostic approach, the latest physiopathological data and the therapeutic basis of the "specific" pulmonary lesions associated with polymyositis and dermatomyositis.