Peribronchial cuffing

Peribronchial cuffing, also referred to as peribronchial thickening or bronchial wall thickening is a radiographic sign which occurs when excess fluid or mucus buildup in the small airway passages of the lung causes localized patches of atelectasis (lung collapse). ^[1] This causes the area around the bronchus to appear more prominent on an xray.

Peribronchial cuffing is seen in a number of conditions including:

• bronchitis, acute
• asthma following exercise or during an acute episode
• bronchopulmonary dysplasia
• congestive heart failure
• cystic fibrosis
• diffuse parenchymal lung disease
• Extreme exertion through physical exercise
• Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
• human metapneumovirus
• Kawasaki disease
• Lung cancer
• Pneumonia
• pulmonary edema
• Smoke inhalation

Treatment

As peribronchial cuffing is a sign rather than a symptom or condition, there is no specific treatment except to treat the underlying cause.

References

1. ^ Bramson RT, Griscom NT, Cleveland RH. (2005). "Interpretation of chest radiographs in infants with cough and fever.". Radiology 236 (1): 22–29. doi:10.1148/radiol.2361041278. PMID 15983074.